Entrance me, please
by Scream to the Stars
Summary: We are two of the same, though one doesn't quite remember. She talked to me one day and now I'm entranced. How do you function this way when your mind is ensnared in darkness? I don't know, but I want to find out. Can we help each other? I don't know, but please keep entrancing me so I can find out.
1. Chapter 1

**A new one! Enigma only has one chapter left and I am in the process of finishing it up now. While that one's being written, enjoy the first chapter of this one. No clue what it'll be named.  
**

 **Don't you just love my process?**

 **Oh, some of this shit is OOC as fuck. Have fun with that. And its AU.**

 **It's 2 am and I'm super hungry. Sorry for this whole issue here.**

* * *

It was the same dream he had almost every night. He outright hated it just for the beginning. He always hated it because he felt as though he was drowning. The ice cold water penetrated his skin and set his lungs on fire. His eyesight grew dim as the moonlight faded as he fell deeper and deeper into the lake. How did he get here? He didn't quite remember.

The dream didn't last for long in the ice cold water, for there was more to this memory. This was when the dream turned good. He barely noticed the hand appear and grasp his collar, pulling him from the water. Though it was a great issue to pull him out of the water, she managed it. He accredited it to adrenaline back then, but he had never been so sure. He saw her terrified face, pink hair flying everywhere, while she tried to keep him from dying. She tugged his soaked clothes from his body and pulled hers off as well before pulling him to her body, trying to warm him up as best she could. She was scorching to him, but that didn't matter. He went seeking for her heat, grasping and holding tightly to her tiny little body.

"Don't fall asleep," she kept murmuring to him. He clung to her words and kept staring at her face, imprinting it into his memory. Her luminous green eyes and milky skin that positively glowed in the moonlight was enough to make him think her an angel. He clenched her hand tightly and shivered while she tugged him harshly against her, willing for him to stay awake.

The dream ended and he woke before the ambulance arrived. He didn't care. He didn't like the dream anyways. He liked the ending, of course. The imprint of her stayed in his mind's eye long afterwards. He knew who she was. He knew her name and where she lived and what school she went to. She didn't seem to remember him, though. She remembered nothing of him when he was fifteen and she was thirteen and she'd saved his life. It hurt him in a way. He didn't like that she didn't remember. It was imprinted into his mind, reinforced every night during the scant amount of sleep he managed.

He looked at his alarm clock. He had a good four hours before he had to get to school. He really hated that he wasn't getting any sleep, but waking up this early meant he could get out of the house before _he_ woke up. _He_ would make him late for school and everything in between. That was the last think he wanted. Sighing, he pulled himself out of bed. The best thing to do would be to shower and scavenge whatever change he could to get a coffee at the shop near the school. He could sit on his computer for a couple hours there and they wouldn't say a thing.

He stood under the spray of the shower. When he closed his eyes, it gave him a flashback to the dream. He bit his cheek and kept himself from hitting the shower wall. He really hated when it would come back to him in the waking world. He really did. He shook his head and stared angrily at the water swirling around his feet for a few long minutes before shaking his head again and getting to washing himself. He wasn't about to take longer than he should.

His little brother was just waking up when he left the house. He only knew because he heard the bedroom door open just as he got down the stairs. Too bad for him, he'd have to ride the bus today. Itachi didn't care. Sasuke could complain all he wanted, but his mother would stand by him at least. He wasn't ready when Itachi left; therefore he had no inclination to drive him. Itachi's mother was the only person he really got along with in the house. He didn't know why she was still married to _him._ He hated her sometimes for that fact, but couldn't find it within himself to hate her too much. He didn't know what was going on in her head just as much as she didn't know what was going on in his. He went with his original plan and sat in a coffee shop until school was set to start.

He saw her when he walked onto the school grounds. She was walking with his little brother and a blond, presumably his little brother's best friend. He stopped for a moment and stared, watching her. She was smiling and her green eyes were fixed on his brother. He wished they were set on him, but he had never had her attention save for the one time when she saved him. Her hair blew in the wind, so much longer now than it was three years ago.

Itachi had to remind himself to move. He couldn't just stand there and stare at her for who knows how long. It wasn't exactly socially acceptable. He glared at the ground and began moving. He sat underneath his usual tree, staring at nothing and drinking his coffee until the warning bell rang. He didn't have any friends here, didn't have any friends in general, and so spent most of his time alone and brooding. He would live for the time he could see her again, even from a distance. He was infatuated, he knew it, but she didn't even know his name, didn't even remember him. He didn't care at this point. Why should he? They came from different worlds and he knew it.

He knew she came from a well-off family, though not nearly as well-off as his own. He knew she was usually handed things, but he knew much of that as well. She didn't understand his anger and his fear. She didn't understand that, three years ago, he hadn't wanted to be saved. She had wrenched his plans askew and screwed his thoughts of the world. Now she was his angel and he couldn't seem to get her out of his head even though she hadn't passed another glance over him since the one time. She didn't even know they went to the same school or that he was Sasuke's brother. She didn't know any of this and he hated it. He hated just being able to watch her. He hated that she wouldn't understand and that's why he couldn't talk to her.

He just hated everything. It was the only thing he knew and so he clung to it. His hatred and anger at the world was what fueled him and gave him purpose to continue living. His anger was what kept his feet moving and gave him some kind of will to wake in the morning. Sometimes, he wished he wasn't so angry with everything, but it was the only thing he had. It was the only thing he could keep close to him and fully, completely understand.

So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice when she ran into him. His arm shot out reflexively and caught her around the waist just before she took a tumble. His mind was stunned into silence and he could only stare stonily at her as he lifted her back to her feet and set her securely on the floor. She was flushing and looking quite embarrassed.

"Thank you," she whispered, though didn't look at him. Itachi only nodded. She didn't move for a long moment before Sasuke appeared beside her. He glared at his older brother. Apparently he was upset he didn't get a ride to school today. He grabbed her by the elbow.

"Come on, Sakura. We'll be late if we don't get going," his brother said, voice cold. He could only watch as he steered the interesting girl away from him. He felt slightly sad, watching her go. He only shook his head and set off towards his class. He didn't want to be late either.

"Who was that?" Sakura asked, turning slightly to Sasuke. "I feel bad that I knocked into him. He even caught me!"

"That was my older brother, Sakura. I can't believe you haven't seen him before," Sasuke said, stony faced. He didn't like talking about his brother. He didn't like that his brother had just stared at Sakura, a mix of surprise and something else in his eyes. Sasuke couldn't quite identify what. He simply decided he didn't like it and pulled her away as quick as he could.

"I mean, I saw him around before," Sakura shrugged. "I don't know his name and I didn't even know that he's your brother. I haven't seen him at your house, either." Sasuke wanted to groan. He had held open the door to conversation on this topic and he didn't like that she had taken it. He tried, desperately, to think of a way to change the subject.

"He isn't one you want to talk to," he finally said. "He's somewhat of a pariah." Sakura seemed to know that he didn't want to talk about it, even though she hated that he spoke of him in such a dismal way. She kept quiet as they slid into their class and took their usual seats next to each other. Sasuke knew she wanted to keep asking about it, but he thought he'd put a cork in it.

"What are you doing after school?" he asked abruptly in an attempt to distract her from her thoughts. Sakura only shrugged.

"My mom wanted me and Naruto home after school. She has clients at the gym today and offered to take us with her." Sasuke nodded. Sometimes, he could get all three of them to hang out, but when their mother wanted to bring them to the gym, there was nothing he could do to talk them out of it. Happily, it was only once or twice a week, so it wasn't all bad. "You could come with us, you know," she said, just before the bell rang. He only nodded in answer to her.

She saw him again when they were on lunch break. Sasuke was walking next to her and she nudged him. "What's he doing all alone?" she asked, sadness in her eyes as she watched him. Sasuke only shrugged. He couldn't pretend to know why his brother did what he did. As far as he knew, Itachi didn't have any friends. If he did then he didn't ever have them around. He honestly thought his brother was a sorry sack of shit, plain and simple. "You go on and sit with Naruto," she said, biting her lip. "I'll go sit with him."

"Sakura, you don't have to do anything for him. Don't feel bad for him," Sasuke tried to stop her, but she rolled her eyes.

"Everyone needs a friend, Sasuke," she shot back, sighing. "You'll see me after school, okay? Don't worry. If he's as rude as you say I'll see you in a couple minutes." Sakura wasn't going to hang around anyone that was an outright prick. Sasuke just sighed and nodded. He knew he wasn't going to talk her out of anything she'd already decided on. She pressed her hand to his arm for a moment before bounding off. He only shook his head and went to find Naruto at their usual picnic table.

Sakura approached him quietly. She didn't know how to alert him to her presence without frightening him. She stood a few feet from him for a few moments before speaking. "Hey," she called softly, hoping he could hear her. When she was unsure and a little afraid, her voice was just a little squeak. He looked up, however, definitely surprised. He didn't say anything, just watched her. There was something in her eyes that told her he was ready to run. He was guarded. He was a cornered animal trying to decide between fight for flight and right now it seemed he was weighing heavily on flight. "Can I sit with you?" she asked timidly. That look was still in his eyes, even as he turned back towards the field and nodded towards the spot next to him.

Sakura bounced to the spot and sat down, rummaging through her bag for her lunch. She was so hungry. She'd only had a light breakfast this morning. Her mother was on a health kick and therefore gave her very exact proportions of very exact items. She sighed. At least for lunch, her mom gave her a lot of veggies and such. The sandwich even had turkey, the only meat she would let her have. Sakura didn't mind it too much. She noticed that Itachi had nothing.

"Have you eaten anything?" He shook his head. "Are you going to get lunch?" He shrugged. He didn't have any money on him and it wasn't like he was going to hang around home long enough to grab something to eat anyways. Sakura bit her lip. "Here," she tore her sandwich in uneven halves and offered part of it to him. He glared at it, but his stomach growled. He really couldn't remember the last time he ate. "Just take it, 'Tachi," she said, her eyes challenging him. He blinked. He didn't know she knew his name, but he liked the way she said it. He silently reached for it and she pushed it into his hand.

It was just egg white, cheese, and turkey, but he couldn't be happier about eating it. When he finished what she'd given him, she was holding out a small baggie of carrots and celery. He didn't want to take it, but she shoved it into his hands as well. It seemed she wasn't going to take no for an answer. How annoying. He couldn't really complain, though. She was feeding him.

"You know," she sighed when they had finished sharing her lunch. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected this, not at all. "It's not good to starve yourself. It hurts your brain as well as your body." He grunted. He knew. His body was already feeling better as the food sat in his system. He didn't really have the means to do so, though. Sometimes he could get something to eat, but most times he stayed out of the house until his father had gone to bed and he could slip in quietly without being noticed. He couldn't go to the kitchen then. Any noise at all would wake his father. "Come to my house for dinner," she offered, finally turning her glowing eyes to him. He looked down at her again in surprise. She moved her head from his shoulder, for which he was upset about. He liked it when she'd done that.

"I would not like to impose," he finally said after long minutes. Sakura scoffed. She pulled out her phone and sent a message, presumably to her parents.

"Now you don't have a choice. My mom's expecting you," she winked at him. He didn't like this, he decided. Sure, he'd been infatuated with her for a long time and had watched her from the shadows for a long while, but he had never talked to her, never gotten to know her. She was pushy and wanted it her way. She was going to extreme lengths at the moment and it was starting to annoy him. He just wanted to be left alone in his personal hell. Sakura didn't seem to care. She just smiled up at him, her eyes expectant. She was waiting for his answer.

"Fine," he conceded. He didn't know where she lived. He didn't know if his mother would be angry or if Sasuke would react violently. He didn't care. Sasuke could go climb a tree if he was upset. Sakura didn't seem to care. She didn't mention Sasuke, though he was sure there was something going on between them by the way his little brother had reacted earlier.

"By the way, sorry for crashing into you earlier," Sakura laughed. She had almost forgotten about it. "It was really nice of you to save me from taking a tumble, you know?" she laughed again. He liked her laugh. It sounded like little bells were ringing through his head. He wanted her to laugh more, but couldn't think of anything to say or do that would achieve such a thing. Sakura checked her phone. "Hey, we should start heading to the school if we don't want to be late," she said, hoisting herself up. She offered her hand to help him up. He stared at her hand for a moment before taking it and letting her hoist him up. He was surprised. She was quite strong.

He walked her to her class and received a glowing smile in return. It felt as though the sun shone on him for that moment and he felt rays of warmth enter his heart. He liked it when she smiled too. He decided he liked a lot of things about her now that he interacted with her up close, even if she was pushy and wanted things her way all the time. He thanked his luck, what little of it he did have, that she had crashed into him in the hallway.

"How was my brother?" Sasuke asked when Sakura sat next to him. She was smiling, which was usually a good thing. He wondered how his pariah of a brother had managed to make her smile. Of course, it was easy, but he had always thought his brother was quite standoffish and mean. He thought he would have sent her running for the hills.

"He was fine. He hadn't seemed to have eaten in a while, though. I gave him half my lunch and I'm making him come over for dinner tonight," Sakura shrugged. She didn't know how Sasuke didn't know his brother was starving himself, but she didn't dwell on it. Her mother would make him eat. She was very good at it. She was a mental health counselor during the day and was a professional trainer at the gym in the afternoon. The second job was much more of a hobby for her, but she seemed to enjoy everything she did.

"Itachi doesn't eat. It doesn't mean you have to take him under your wing," Sasuke said harshly, glaring towards the backboard. Sakura suddenly was very quiet. "What?" he asked, knowing he upset her. He didn't like when he upset her, but was still quite annoyed that his brother was trying to make friends with her. Yes, he knew that it was all Sakura's doing, but Itachi could just scare her off. He'd done it plenty of times before.

"I know that I don't remember everything before the accident, Sasuke, but I do know I was anorexic," she said softly, staring at her desk. He felt terrible now. He hadn't meant to remind her of that, but he was doing just that right now. He hadn't meant to do such things. He really had to watch himself. "I don't want him to waste away and die like I had been close to doing. I know. I've seen the pictures." Sasuke berated himself on the inside.

"Sakura, I apologize," he said quickly, trying to speak quickly before the bell rang. "I didn't mean to upset you. We can talk about it later if you're still upset." Sakura only nodded, looking off out the window instead of talking to him. She was off in her own little world now, stuck in her own head. She didn't like it when these thoughts came back, but sometimes they came back unbidden and she couldn't help but to think about it.

She ran out of the classroom before Sasuke could catch up with her and he knew he really fucked up this time. Naruto joined him outside of his second to last class and he looked curiously at Sasuke's face.

"You alright there, buddy?" he asked, tilting his head. Usually Sasuke was in a pretty bad mood, but this was different. Sasuke was beating himself up and Naruto could see it. "What's wrong?" he asked, very concerned now. He was hoping Sasuke would say something before the bell rang.

"I upset Sakura. I reminded her of the accident and other…things." Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose as he walked to his seat. Much to his annoyance, Naruto sad next to him.

"Did she run off on you?" Sasuke would get even more upset when she ran off on him instead of heard him out. Sasuke nodded minutely. Naruto knew, then. Sakura was really upset. He guessed Sasuke had unthinkingly said something about anorexia. Sakura didn't remember herself being that way, but Naruto did and she had asked him to tell her everything one night. She had not talked to him for the rest of that night and it had worried him. She held it close to herself now and never wanted to be that way again.

"I did not mean to. She spent her lunch with my brother and he rarely eats. I told her just because he doesn't eat doesn't mean she has to take him under her wing." Naruto shook his head. Sasuke didn't know about that night so very long ago, but Naruto did. He and Sakura had snuck out that night and he would never forget what had happened.

He remembered Sakura laughing and dancing around the water's edge and staring down into the water from the safety of the pier. They had been walking around the lake when they heard a splash. Naruto had thought it was a duck, but Sakura saw ripples just off of the pier. She ran. She ran so quickly that her breath made mist in the air when she stopped. She paid no heed to the freezing water, just reached into the water. She searched and searched; her body almost halfway in the water, when she pulled him out. His long hair covered his face and he looked almost like a drowned rat. Sakura hadn't asked for help as she drug him out and all but tore off his clothes, pulling hers off as well save for anything that would protect her modesty. He watched as she pulled him close and whispered and talked to him.

He had been standing and watching for a long five minutes when she finally looked up at him and screamed to call an ambulance. Feeling so very stupid, he reached for his phone and dialed nine-one-one. She stayed there with him, holding him so very tightly and trying to warm him when the ambulance finally arrived. She had let him go then.

Itachi had transferred to a different school the following year and in that time, Sakura had her accident and forgotten all about him. Itachi knew nothing about her accident and Sasuke knew nothing of his. It made Naruto feel bad almost; that he knew everything hen the other two did not. He sighed and shook his head, the bell ringing through his head. He couldn't do with thoughts like these. He already had bad enough grades.

Sakura was waiting for them on the steps afterschool, her key in her hand. Itachi was walking away from her and Sasuke knew better than to open his mouth at this point. Naruto took Sasuke's lead and kept his mouth shut, just in case Sakura shut down on him as well. Sakura smiled and gestured towards the parking lot. Sasuke sighed in relief. She seemed to have gotten over her upset at least.

"Are we stopping at home first?" Naruto asked, looking down at himself. "I don't want to exercise in my school clothes." Sakura just nodded. She was too busy driving to answer him. Naruto had his driving license too, but their father didn't exactly trust him with his personal car. He thought Sakura a much more cautious driver and so allowed her the use of his vehicle instead. "I'll give you something, Sasuke."

"Like I want your smelly old gym clothes from three years ago," Sasuke deadpanned. Sakura laughed.

"Would you rather some from me?" she asked, peering at him in the rear view mirror. He grimaced. It seemed it was between Naruto's smelly old clothes or Sakura's feminine ones. He sighed. She would definitely make him wear hers if he tried to go in his school clothes.

"Fine, Naruto," he ground out. He didn't enjoy it, not one little bit, but it was better than feminine things. Naruto just grinned. They pulled up to the house and Naruto was out of the car before it even stopped. Sakura just shook her head and parked. She and Sasuke walked up the front steps together.

"When will my brother be over?" Sasuke asked before he went trailing after Naruto.

"He's supposed to be here at six-thirty," Sakura answered. "I'll get you home before then if you want." Sasuke nodded. He and his brother didn't have much to say to each other, even if he drove him to school some days. Most days he was gone out of the house before Sasuke even woke up. It was frustrating. Why couldn't Itachi just be a normal human like everyone else?

"Sakura," he caught her just before she began going upstairs. "I'm really sorry, you know? I really wasn't trying to hurt you." Sakura just shook her head.

"It's fine, Sasuke. Just drop it, okay?" she was forcing herself to keep calm and he knew it. He sighed and let her go, wandering through the first floor to Naruto's room. He was rooting through his closet and began throwing things on the bed. He grinned at Sasuke when he realized he was in the room.

"Here you go," he said, tossing some clothes at him. "You know, the best thing to do is to leave her alone until she comes to you," he told him, pulling his shirt off. "You should trust me, you know. I've been living with her for twelve years." Sasuke just rolled his eyes and began changing as well. He could take Naruto's advice, but this would be the first time out of several. He wasn't about to change his old ways now.

"I'm sure she'll get over it eventually, she usually does," Sasuke said, shrugging. Naruto didn't say anything in response. They were quiet until they heard the front door open. Naruto gestured towards the door and Sasuke nodded.

"Hey, mom, what's up?" Naruto asked as he shut his bedroom door. His room was off the kitchen, though he wasn't too happy about it. It gave his mother and Sakura full license to be loud as hell in the morning in an attempt to wake him up early. He wouldn't come out of his room to spite them, but it still was quite annoying.

"Are you ready?" she asked, about to turn around. "Sakura said that Sasuke's coming with us and there's a boy named Itachi coming over for dinner tonight." She didn't ask Sakura why she did anything anymore. She just let her have her way at this point. Sakura wouldn't bring anyone home that was a danger or was incredibly rude.

"We are. I'll go check on Sakura," Naruto offered, already heading towards the stairs. He hadn't heard anything from her room for a while and was pretty worried in the first place. Sakura had always had some pretty bad mental health problems. He didn't like it when she was too quiet like this. He knocked on her door. He didn't get an answer just yet and he knocked again, louder. If she didn't answer yet, then he was going to just walk in and deal with her wrath. "Sakura, if you don't answer I'm coming in," he warned. She still didn't answer. He sighed and pushed the door open.

She was lying under her covers, hiding her face in her pillows. He crept up to her side and wondered why she was so upset over something that Sasuke of all people said. He sat next to her and put his hand on the small of her back, "Are you alright, Sakura?" he asked. She shook her head. "What's up?" She didn't answer. She moved slightly just to put her hand in his lap. "Sak, why'd you do it again?" he asked, picking her arm up and inspecting the red lines threading across it, some still bleeding slightly. "I have to tell mom." She didn't move. She knew. She didn't know why she did it. She was just so depressed lately. Naruto just shook his head. "Actually, I won't. Just make sure you wear a long sleeved shirt tonight." Sakura wondered why he wasn't telling their mother. He didn't want to because Itachi was supposed to be coming over tonight and he thought he could get the older boy to talk to her about it and get something out of her that their mother couldn't. Sakura shut down when their mother tried to talk to her about it, even though she was a mental health counselor. Naruto thought it was because Sakura didn't want their mother to know about the dark thoughts in her head. Sakura wouldn't even tell him. "I'm going to go with Sasuke and mom. I'll tell her that you're taking a nap," Naruto sighed, patting her back and pulling himself up.

"Where's Sakura, Naruto? We have to get going," his mother asked when he got to the bottom of the stairs.

"She's sleeping. I thought I'd just let her sleep," he shrugged. His mom nodded. When Sakura could sleep, she let her sleep. Their mom thought she wasn't getting any sleep lately and he thought it best to let her believe that to get away with situations like this. He and Sasuke walked out the door, his mom right behind them, and led him to the car. He watched Sakura's window while they pulled out, but there was no movement. She probably felt like lead at this point. She couldn't move. He was just too worried about her.

* * *

Naruto had brought Sasuke home and now he was staring up at a boy that looked much like him. Itachi seemed rather uncomfortable as he stood right outside the door, his face rather pinched and hands tight in his pockets. It seemed as though he would have much rather had Sakura answer the door and Naruto could understand it, but she was still hiding upstairs. He thought he would have to bring Itachi up there at some point in an attempt to get her to talk.

"Come on in," Naruto said, stepping to the side. Itachi hesitated. Naruto knew he was wondering where the hell Sakura was. "I'll bring you to her if you want," Naruto offered. Itachi's eyes snapped to him. The older boy looked like he was about to run and the mention of Sakura was the only thing that brought a semblance of calm to his eyes. Naruto grinned, gesturing to the stairs, "Come on." Naruto was really sick of talking to mutes at this point.

Itachi followed Naruto closely up the stairs and watched him stop at a door at the end of a hallway. He watched him knock and receive no answer. He knocked again and there still wasn't an answer. Naruto sighed and opened the door, gesturing to the older boy to follow him in. Itachi raised a brow and followed him inside the room. It was a nice room, painted in ivy green and white furniture everywhere. It was quite pretty and nice. He watched with interest as Naruto sat next on the bed and searched under the covers.

"Sakura, Itachi's here,' Naruto said, pulling the blankets back. He was answered with a groan. "Oh, just talk to him. I'll be back to get you for dinner," he pat her shoulder and shook his head, getting up. He didn't look at Itachi, didn't want to. He left the room, leaving behind a very confused Itachi that didn't know what to do and a Sakura that didn't want to talk to anyone. She didn't even want dinner at this point. She just wanted to continue hiding in her blankets and ignore life.

"Sorry about him," she said softly. Itachi had to strain his ears to hear her. "I don't know why he brought you up here."

"Why are you in bed at this hour?" he asked, deciding to try and talk to her instead of just standing there and waiting for her to speak.

"No reason," she shrugged. She weighed telling him, wondering if he was just as messed up as she was. She didn't know. She knew he had no clue about her accident, but didn't know if she wanted to tell him, didn't know if he would look at her like she was insane. He noticed her arm was hanging out from under the blankets and he took interest when he realized blood was running down her arm, most of it dried however.

"You cut yourself?" he asked. It would have sounded incredulous if he had allowed any emotion at all into his voice. He wasn't one for that, however. He just watched the lump under the blankets. She seemed to curl up into a smaller ball and pulled her arm back underneath the blankets. They were more alike than he thought. He pushed himself to stand in front of her. He waited, patiently, until she looked at him. It took a long moment, but he finally saw her bright eyes catch on him. He shoved his arm out to her and pulled back his long sleeve.

Her small, thin fingers reached out and traced the wounds that mirrored hers. He shut his eyes in an attempt to put up with the physical interaction. Her fingertips danced over the scars and fresh wounds, tickling him. All of a sudden, her hand was around his wrist and pulling him down, down, and into her bed. Her arms were around him tightly and his face was pushed into his neck. He was so surprised, he couldn't move, his hands landed awkwardly at her sides. He didn't know what to do in this situation. He had never been in one such as this. Girls rarely even looked his way let alone wanted to hold him.

"Why do you do it?" she asked softly. He could hear her much better from where she held him. He didn't need to strain so much to hear her from here. She needed to know. She needed to know why he hurt himself when he was just as well off as she was. She brushed her fingers through his hair, admiring it almost.

"My family is not very nice," was all he could say. She didn't question him. She didn't tell him that Sasuke didn't seem so mean. She didn't want to. Perhaps Sasuke was a right prick to him with the way he spoke about his brother. "And yourself?" he couldn't help but ask. He didn't know if she was going to give him a vague answer or not, but hoped she wouldn't. He had been so obsessed with her for so long. He didn't want her to give him a vague answer. He had never even thought he would have gotten this far.

"I was in a car accident about a year and a half ago," she murmured, tensing. He took it upon himself to pull away from her. He didn't quite know what he was doing, but he slowly wrapped an arm around her and brought her to his chest. She adjusted for him so it wasn't so uncomfortable. "I don't remember anything before it except for waking up in the hospital. Part of me doesn't even know who I am. It's enough to make me go insane." He didn't know what to say. He was glad she told him for he knew now why she didn't remember him. He wasn't glad that she felt that way.

He didn't know what to say and so didn't say anything at all. She seemed happy enough to lay there with him, though, her face pressed into his shoulder. He buried his hand into her hair, the same way she had, and pulled his fingers through gently. It seemed to make her happy.

"Why do you not wish to eat? You made such a deal about it with me," he said, guessing that's why she still hadn't come out of bed. He didn't know why he was given the task of getting her out of bed and downstairs, but he didn't care. He wanted to get closer to her and this seemed like a great way. She was curled into his arms, comfortable. Her blank eyes were fixed on her arm. She hated her arms. She didn't know why she kept cutting herself when she hated herself so much afterwards.

"I was told I used to be anorexic," she shrugged. "But I really don't feel like eating."

"Nor do I. Shall we choke something down together?" he offered, watching her. She blinked. She nodded. He pulled them off the bed and made sure she was steady before letting his hands fall from around her waist. He had liked holding her like that, but wasn't about to keep her in bed when she didn't want to be there. She flushed when he found her face. "Find a shirt," he said quietly, tugging slightly on the pajama shirt she wore. She flushed again and nodded, going to her closet and pulling out a sweatshirt. He waited for her to lead the way out of her room. She stopped by a door halfway down the hallway, however. He waited patiently while she washed up and wrapped her arms. He had wondered why she wore sweatshirts when it was still quite hot outside.

He followed her down the stairs and was curious when she hid behind him. He wondered why she didn't want to be seen and wondered if it was because of her sweatshirt. Did her parents care about her self harming unlike his own? Possibly. That could be why she didn't want to be noticed. She would rather have him be the center of attention so it wasn't noticed. He could understand that.

"Oh, hello, I heard the door open a while ago. Did you go and try to get Sakura out of bed? Sometimes it's pretty impossible." A rather irate looking woman with sandy blonde hair and eyes that reminded him of Sakura stood in the kitchen holding a spatula. She was smiling, though. He wondered whether she looked irate because she was really or if it was just the way she looked.

Itachi didn't answer. He wasn't about to talk to anyone but the girl standing behind him. He grasped her wrist and pulled her out from behind him, putting her into sight. Her mother smiled and a man with graying hair that sat at the dining room table got up and walked to them.

"I don't know how you managed that, young man," he smiled at Sakura. "How are you feeling, dear?" Itachi thought her parents tiptoed around her, were rather wary of her. He wondered why. She seemed to need nothing more than a good hug and some simple understanding. She had responded well to him. He figured her parents wouldn't try to get her out of bed anymore if she was so adamant about staying and hiding. He figured they wouldn't try and make her eat if she really didn't want to. He thought it was just as bad as his parents. They yelled about his indiscretions and the way he could do nothing right. Her parents noticed she had a problem but were too afraid to do anything about it. They were on opposite sides of the spectrum, but both were pretty terrible.

Sakura managed to break away and lead him to the living room, where Naruto was sitting around and watching something. Sakura didn't want to talk to her parents anymore and so sat close to Naruto, leaning slightly into his side. He grinned at her and slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side for a short moment. Itachi sat on her other side and simply watched them interact. Had Naruto been invited too, he wondered, or did he live here? He didn't quite know. Naruto definitely wasn't related to her.

"Thanks, Itachi," Naruto grinned at him now. "It's usually pretty hard for me to get her out of bed and if we tell our parents, she'll end up back in the psych ward." Sakura tensed at his words and let out the smallest squeak imaginable. Itachi thought that meant she didn't want to go back there, no matter what. She didn't seem too fond of the idea, at least. Naruto shushed her. "They ignore stuff like this and think something's really wrong with her head." Sakura nodded numbly.

"Of course there is something wrong," Itachi cut across Naruto's words. "Sakura does not know how to deal with it accordingly and so harms herself. I take it your parents will not invest in counseling for her because they think it is just a phase and will fix itself." Naruto was surprised at Itachi's words. Since when did he speak so much and so forcefully? Sakura was just listening avidly and pressed herself into his side. He understood that his words were true at her actions.

"They've tossed her in the psych ward before," Naruto said, staring at the floor. "They just don't understand." Sakura shook her head. Itachi just sighed. This is not what he wanted to talk about. His parents were much the same and it hit too close to home. He was just going through a phase and it would be over soon. It would fix itself. In reality, he knew he needed help but didn't know the way of going about and getting it. "The funny thing is that my mom's a mental health counselor," Naruto said, staring at the floor, his hands tight on either side of him.

"She does not want to accept that there is something wrong with her daughter," Itachi said smoothly. "When someone is in that field they are wonderfully adept at denying the obvious in their own kin. There is nothing wrong. They are just a little more tired. They are just going through a phase. If they are suicidal, they do not know why, only find it better to toss them off for someone else to help them. Sakura might try and say something, but your mother will only hear that she is hurting herself and needs to be on suicide watch. She will not hear that she needs to speak and be heard." Sakura was avidly listening to Itachi now.

"Hey, Itachi," Naruto was looking at him in the strangest way. "You're really smart, you know?" Itachi didn't answer, merely nodded his head. Sakura was pressed against his side and Naruto shook his head. She had decided she really liked him now and she wasn't about to let him get too far away from her at this point. He liked the idea. Itachi seemed smart and good for her.

"Dinner's ready!" Sakura detached herself from Itachi and stood, offering him her hand again. He didn't hesitate in grabbing it and letting her hoist him up this time. Naruto followed slowly behind, running his hand through his hair and yawning. He hadn't been sleeping all afternoon like Sakura and was pretty tired now.

Sakura offered him the seat next to her and Itachi sat. He was glad she was sitting next to him and Naruto was close by. He decided he liked Naruto. He seemed pretty concerned about Sakura and wasn't shrugging it off like their parents were. He had decided Naruto had to be adopted. He didn't think anything terrible of him for it, just didn't think it was possible he was related to anyone in this house.

"Tonight we have spanish rice and veggie soup," their mother said, smiling as she began to serve everyone. Sakura didn't seem too happy about the fact she was going to have to eat it. Itachi watched her curiously, his own food in front of him, as she slowly began eating. He followed suit and figured out why she wasn't too happy about it. The soup was far too salty and was comprised mostly of watery cabbage. The rice was far too spicy and nothing could be tasted besides the curry powder that'd been used. He could understand why Sakura wouldn't want to eat a damn thing in this house when she was being fed food like this. He knew that her mother also fed her as though she was three sizes bigger. He wondered why.

Sakura didn't say anything for all of dinner and just picked up her plate and his as well, washing them in the sink before disappearing up the stairs with a soft mention of homework. Itachi didn't know if he was allowed, but no one stopped him as he followed her up the stairs. He remembered where her room was fairly easily and knocked twice before quietly opening the door. She was sitting on her bed, a book open on her lap and her laptop open beside it. He nodded to her and sat next to her.

"Don't you want to go home or something?" she asked as she read the textbook. She had to come out with an essay fairly quickly. Itachi only shrugged. It was only about eight right now and his father didn't go to sleep until ten or so. He wasn't about to go home when his father was still awake. If she really didn't want him around, he would go to the coffee shop again and just sit on his computer. He would rather stay around her, though.

"I would rather not," he said quietly. "I enjoy your company." Sakura blinked and blushed. She liked his company too, especially after he had shown her what he did. It was a pleasant discovery, at least for her. It wasn't so pleasant for anyone else. Itachi leaned against her side and watched her. She didn't mind it too much. She did the same to him.

"Why don't you eat much?" she asked as she typed away. He watched her fingers fly across the keyboard and he was entranced for a moment before realizing she had asked him something.

"I do not like being at home and I rarely have money on my person," he answered her readily, wanting to be as open with her as she was with him. If he wasn't, he was afraid she would shut down on him and any progress he made would go to waste. He didn't want any of it to go to waste at this point. Sakura nodded silently. "I wait for everyone to go to bed before going home and then I leave before anyone wakes."

"I suppose that's smart if they aren't the nicest," Sakura said, shrugging. Itachi nodded. He had already finished his homework long ago at that coffee shop. The workers there knew him quite well at this point and would give him a free coffee in the afternoon. It was obvious they thought he was a college student. He had done nothing to make them think otherwise. "I'll start bringing more food in my lunch to share with you. You're welcome to come here for dinner as well."

"I do not need your charity, Sakura," he said. He didn't want to make it seem as though he didn't appreciate it, but he didn't want to take things from her just because she felt as though she needed to give it to him. She flushed and bit her lip harshly, glaring at her computer. "Did I upset you?" he asked, knowing he had in the back of his mind.

"I told you. I used to be anorexic, or so I was told. There are pictures of me like that and Naruto told me all these things of when I was. I don't want you to end up like that too," she said harshly, glaring at the screen. Itachi was surprised with the amount of force behind her words. She was usually a quiet little squeak of a girl and generally didn't have enough care to use such force.

"I must apologize," he knew he was in the wrong. He wasn't about to upset her further. "I am not used to someone caring about me like this." Sakura only nodded. She still didn't look up from his computer screen. "Would you like to join me for breakfast tomorrow?" he tried. He could actually grab some money and treat her for dinner. Then he wouldn't feel so badly about her always giving him food. He would just have to find some money around the house. His father tracked everything that had to do with his bank account and questioned him endlessly when he took even five dollars out. There was usually a twenty laying around the house somewhere. He knew where to look.

"Are you sure?" she asked, turning to him. She didn't want him doing anything he would get in trouble for.

"Take it as a gratuitous offer," he said, happy that she had finally turned to look at him.

"Well, you said you rarely have money on you. If you want breakfast, I'll treat you to it," she said sweetly. Sakura was seriously the sweetest girl he had ever met and he was getting distracted by her. He had never noticed a girl like this and couldn't quite take his eyes off of her now. He didn't think he could say a word against her at this moment.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"It's almost nine now. Do you need to leave?" she asked. He shook his head. He only needed another hour until he could safely leave and miss his family. Perhaps Sasuke would still be awake and would attempt to ask him about his time here, but that was it. He could deal with Sasuke. Sasuke wasn't nearly as bad as his father and do-nothing mother. Sakura yawned. She shut her computer and leaned over the bed to pull another textbook from her bag. Itachi watched her open it.

"Do you have anything other than that?" he asked. She was doing math homework now. She just shook her head. He supposed she was lucky. Seniors had so much homework than the other classes did, though he didn't have an issue getting it all done. She seemed frustrated however. She bit her lip and glared at the book, as though she couldn't quite figure it out. "Would you like help?"

"No, it's fine," she ground out.

"Sakura, I have already taken this class. I am quite sure I can help you," he said quietly, offering his hand. She sighed and slid her book to him. It was a pretty simple problem and he figured she really didn't do well with math. He sighed and let her push herself closer. He explained the problems for her and talked her through a couple until she was managing by herself. He thought she would have taken far longer to complete it without him.

"It's nine-thirty," she said, checking the time on her computer before she shut it and put it on the floor. She reached for the remote near it and turned on the television. He wondered if she did this most nights. She shoved herself back against the wall so she could watch comfortably and tugged lightly on his sleeve to make him join her. He sat next to her and she leaned on his shoulder. He was getting used to this by now.

He was surprised when he heard her breathing turn slow and felt her body slump against his shoulder. He sighed. It was probably best that he go home at this point. He carefully pulled away from her and got off her bed. He pulled her gently to lay her down and pulled a few throw blankets she had on her bed over her.

He left her home then, though came upon Naruto by the door. He had been at the bottom of the stairs, about to check on them no doubt, and seemed pretty surprised to see him coming down the stairs. He stopped to allow Naruto to talk to him.

"Is she sleeping?" he asked.

"Yes. I will be here tomorrow. She wants to go to breakfast," he answered shortly. Naruto nodded.

"Are you going to get shit from Sasuke for hanging around her?" he asked curiously. Sasuke had been texting him the whole night, trying to figure out what Itachi said and what he was doing every moment of the few hours he was there. Naruto didn't understand why Sasuke had such a big problem with his brother. He thought Itachi wasn't that bad. Itachi was pretty okay by Naruto's book by any means.

"I can deal with him," was all Itachi said.

"Nah, I'll say something to him," Naruto said cheerily. "He'll listen to me, especially if I let him know that Sakura likes you and that you're good for her." Itachi raised a brow at him. "Sasuke doesn't like you. I'm guessing you know that. If you're good for her, though, he'll drop the issue."

"Interesting. I do not think that will make a difference, however. He will still not enjoy my presence. That is how Sasuke is when it comes to me," Itachi said, his hand on the door. He was trying to leave. He wanted to get home and get to sleep so he could be up on time. He hated being late doing anything and Naruto wouldn't help that fact.

"Hey, we're protective of her," Naruto laughed, raising his hands in surrender. "I mean, she's been a lot more fragile since that accident."

"Do not give her so little credit," Itachi said. He had to remind himself that only Sakura knew somewhat of the issues he faced himself. "She is stronger than she seems." He thought their protective nature was good; however it might be perpetuating her mental health issues in the first place. If she was protected all the time, she wouldn't learn how to deal with her own thoughts.

"Like I said, Itachi, you're pretty smart," Naruto grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow," he waved, though was only standing three feet away. Itachi nodded and left, Naruto locking the door behind him.

He was relieved when he got home. His father and mother were definitely asleep at this point. He wasn't sure if Sasuke was or not. He guessed he would find out. He quietly entered the house and managed to shut the door without a sound before carefully climbing the stairs. He was just about to enter his room when Sasuke appeared behind him. Not wanting his parents to wake, Itachi nodded towards the door. Sasuke followed him in and soundlessly closed the door.

"What did you do?" Sasuke asked, his eyes suspicious. He wanted to know everything. He wanted to know why the pariah was trying to make friends now. Why did he have to go after his friends? Sasuke had always hated when Itachi talked to anyone in his circle of friends. He had always wondered why he couldn't go off and find his own.

"We had dinner. I helped Sakura with her math homework. I came home," Itachi said simply. "Do you know she has issues getting out bed?"

"Well, yeah," Sasuke said, his tenseness relaxing.

"Do you know that she harms herself?" Itachi asked next.

"Yes…" Sasuke answered, wondering where this entire thing was going.

"I was wondering," Itachi said simply. "She seems to think much like I do." Sasuke understood then. He understood why Sakura was so entranced by his older brother and why she could help but want to help him. She saw in him something that was within herself. She had never had a friend like herself and it was probably something special now that she had.

"Just don't do anything that makes me want to punch you in the face," Sasuke warned as he opened the door. Itachi only stared at him. Though Sasuke could understand why they wanted to be around each other so much, he could still be rather annoyed about it. He liked to keep his friends to himself. He sighed when he got outside the door. He supposed he shouldn't hate his brother so much. He hardly knew him, anyways. Anything he did know was because his father would complain about nothing else. If Sakura found that having him around was worthy, though, perhaps he had been wrong about him.

Itachi sighed as he laid back on his bed. He hadn't expected his brother to leave so quietly and quickly like that. He was quite used to his brother blowing up at him because of something he had done. He had learned to steer clear of his brother. Perhaps he didn't have to steer clear of him so much anymore. Perhaps Sakura joining him during lunch was the gateway to what he needed to begin fixing things. He didn't know. He sighed again and shut his eyes, turning on his side. He really needed to get to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**I have been far more interested in this than Enigma.**

 **IT'S COMING, OKAY?!**

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke, we should go and sit with them," Naruto said. They were just passing the tree where Sakura was sitting with Itachi, eating lunch. Naruto knew Sasuke wasn't too happy about it, but he just shrugged. He didn't exactly hate Itachi that much anymore. He just hadn't found a way to sit with them without it being awkward. Naruto was offering him that way, though, and with Naruto around it was hard for anything to be awkward.

Naruto just shook his head and pulled Sasuke towards the tree. Sasuke went easily enough and without too much huffing and puffing, so he figured the guy really did want to join them, just didn't know how to say it.

"Hey, guys!" Naruto said, then had to stop. It was certainly a sight. Itachi was resting with his head in Sakura's lap. She was humming and braiding his hair. It was certainly a sight for both of them to see. They hadn't quite thought Itachi would be the type to lie in a girl's lap and have his hair braided. Sasuke obviously thought it was quite odd as well.

"Oh, hey you two," Sakura looked up and smiled. "Why don't you sit down?" Itachi hadn't moved in the slightest. He was still resting; eyes closed, and didn't flinch when he heard Naruto's voice. He was still allowing Sakura to braid his hair, no less. This was certainly an odd afternoon. "Itachi," Sakura giggled, "are you hungry?" She received a noncommittal grunt.

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked, staring at the scene before him. Sasuke had thought it not worth his time and sat next to Naruto, pulling out his lunch. Naruto followed suit, but he just couldn't get over the fact that Sakura had Itachi's head in her lap and they seemed like the perfect couple at this very moment. Sakura had mentioned nothing to them in the past few weeks of Itachi asking her out, though, so they weren't quite sure what to think at this point.

"It means he is, but he doesn't want to move," Sakura laughed. She tied off the braid she just finished and started on another one. "You better not take them out this time, Weasel," she said cheerily, her fingers already deftly moving through his hair again.

"I did not take them out the last time. My hair is black and you could not see them," Itachi answered. Sasuke was more than surprised at this point. Itachi sounded so laid back and comfortable at the moment and he couldn't quite get over it. Itachi's voice was always strained and harsh, never soft and lazy like this. He was seeing a side of his brother he didn't think he would ever see.

"Yeah, okay, whatever helps you sleep at night," Sakura laughed again. Itachi just sighed and turned his head slightly to give her an easier time with the braid.

"Oh, hey, I think I see Hinata," Naruto said, pulling himself from his place. "Is it okay if I go get her?" he asked, as though a second thought. Sakura waved him off and Sasuke didn't think the question deserved a response. Naruto just grinned and ran towards the dark-haired girl. She smiled when she saw him coming.

"Hi, Naruto, what's up?" she asked when he stopped in front of her. She half wondered why he had come from the tree when he usually came from the picnic tables to greet her.

"I was wondering if you wanted to join us under the tree today," Naruto said with a huge grin on his face. "Sasuke, Itachi, and Sakura are there." At hearing Itachi's name, Hinata was just slightly afraid. Her cousin, Neji, was in the same class as the Uchiha and often warned her to stay away from the brooding boy. He said the boy was nothing but trouble.

"I don't think it would be a good idea," Hinata said softly, looking around for her cousin. He was nowhere to be found at the moment, but if he saw her and word got back to her father that she hadn't listened to him, she would be in for a right lecture. That was probably the last thing Hinata wanted. Naruto just rolled his eyes. Neji was walking up and Naruto wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"Neji, you want to come with me and Hinata to the tree?" he asked, gesturing. Neji raised a brow. "Sasuke, Sakura, and Itachi are there and we all know you don't like him." Naruto wasn't one to beat around the bush, everyone knew that. Neji glared at him, almost not going to answer, but Hinata didn't seem too happy at the prospect at having lunch without her boyfriend. Neji turned to the black haired beside him.

"You're coming with us, Lee."

"Ah, yes! I would never give up the chance to see Sakura in all her youthful glory!" Lee shouted. Naruto cringed. He knew, for a fact, that Sakura hated Lee and she definitely heard him, even all the way over here. Lee was even louder than he was and that was quite a feat. He only sighed. If he wanted Hinata, he wasn't getting out of Lee. Sakura could hate him all she wanted later for it.

"Come on, then," he said, though a bit less jovial than before. He led the little group back to the tree. He wanted to laugh when he came upon Sakura and Itachi. Itachi was eating a sandwich whilst lying down and Sakura was still braiding his hair. He felt Neji double take beside him. He thought Neji would be surprised to see Itachi like this too and would disturb any preconceived notions he had about the boy.

"You should totally sit up," Sakura said, peering over at him. Itachi had finished his sandwich at this point. "We have a lot of friends with us today." Itachi raised a brow at her.

"I am comfortable."

Sakura laughed, she couldn't help it. She started laughing and couldn't stop at this point. She held her sides as she laughed. Itachi only raised his brow at her while he ate the veggies she had brought for him. Sakura just shook her head. How the hell did she deal with him? Half the time she didn't even know. "What?" Sakura asked, flushing, when she realized there were so many other eyes on them.

"You look well, Itachi," Hinata tried. She wanted to make him feel included, as she thought that was the reason he was trying to take all of Sakura's attention. She knew his staying in her lap was mostly just a ploy so he didn't have her attention leave him. She thought he had had her attention all to himself for the most part and wasn't up to sharing it at this point.

"I am, and yourself?" Itachi asked, though didn't get up. He had finished his lunch and was enjoying Sakura's hands in his hair, his eyes closed again. Sasuke was even surprised that Itachi had graced Hinata with words. That didn't happen often. Hinata seemed just as surprised and didn't quite have the words to speak for a couple minutes.

"I am well," she finally said. Naruto laughed and shoved his shoulder into hers, grinning at her. He had always thought it adorable when she got flustered.

"Itachi, I need to eat," Sakura was saying. She knew her friends were pretty much just watching their interactions at this point. They were all quiet and staring and she knew for certain that Itachi was only too aware of it.

"Then eat," he said, but didn't move. Sakura blinked. She guessed he wasn't moving at this point. She pulled out her lunch from her bag and began eating the exact food Itachi had had for lunch today. She wanted to laugh at him most of the time. He had come out of his shell more and more over the past few weeks. This was the first time they had anyone sitting with them and he was definitely acting more brash, but it was also sort of cute. He seemed mildly annoyed that their alone time was interrupted and Sakura thought it was pretty adorable.

Rock Lee had finished eating at this point, though. Without food in his mouth, it was bound to turn into a disaster. Sakura watched him warily as he drank down the rest of his water bottle. Then, as she knew he would, he turned to her with a gigantic smile and said loudly, "So, youthful Sakura, how long have you and Itachi been dating?!"

Itachi's eye popped open, watching Lee curiously. Sakura turned red and began choking. Naruto was laughing his ass off and Sasuke looked pretty irate. Sakura managed to get the bit of apple in her throat dislodged and she turned her death glare to Lee.

"For your information, Lee, we aren't dating, so why don't you keep your big mouth to yourself?" she asked venomously. Lee looked quite surprised at Sakura's violent reaction.

"Sakura," Itachi's calm voice interrupted whatever she was going to say next. "You do realize that I am lying in your lap? You have been braiding my hair for the past ten minutes. I am sure you understand what that looks like to others." Sakura flushed. She didn't like it when someone pointed out that she was wrong. She really didn't like it when Itachi did it. His voice was always so calm that he seemed bored, even now. She huffed. "I do not see why your reaction is needed," Itachi answered her unspoken words. "I am merely stating the truth."

"I don't see why you have to be such a douche in front of my friends," she huffed. He rolled his eyes. She still hadn't pushed him out of her lap, so she wasn't that angry with him. He was quite entertained by her reaction actually and wanted to know how much of a rise he could really get out of her. He wasn't planning on trying when there were so many people around that she could punch in the face, however.

"I believe you two should date," Hinata was laughing into her hand while she watched the two. She couldn't help but say it. She knew she was going to get Naruto to laugh with this comment as well. "You two fight like an old married couple anyways!" Naruto burst out laughing, just as she thought he would. He couldn't help it. Hinata was so right. They were usually like this when they were in his house, too. They would bicker and shoot passive aggressive comments back and forth. It was quite entertaining to watch and he thought they enjoyed it as well.

"I don't think they should ever date," Sasuke said sharply. He didn't like the idea, but tried to think of something to say other than he just didn't like it. "It'll be a nightmare if they do and you all know it." Hinata could only giggle and Naruto shook his head, knowing that was just a lame excuse. Neji didn't know what to think anymore and Rock Lee was off in his own youthful little world.

"I think you guys are contemplating a future that has nothing to do with you," Sakura cut in, her eyes sharp. She hoped the next time anyone sat with them, this wouldn't happen. She wasn't exactly enjoying the topic of conversation here.

"Sakura, calm down, it's alright," Itachi said softly, reaching to touch her arm gently. She flushed at his touch and nodded. She didn't mean to have an outburst like that. She just really wasn't enjoying her friends commenting on her love life like that. She wanted to keep it personal and without their interference.

"Sorry," she muttered sheepishly. She thought the best thing to do was to go back to braiding Itachi's hair. Itachi closed his eyes again and let her do what she wished. He would just brush the braids back into his ponytail before going back into the school.

"You know what we should do before it gets too cold?" Naruto asked, falling back into the grass and staring up into the tree. The tree was quite pretty and he was distracted with the way the leaves swayed in the breeze. "We should go on a camping trip before it gets too cold, you know?" he said. "It's going to get really cold really soon and we should have some fun before winter comes."

"That's a good idea," Sakura said, smiling at the blond. He grinned at her from his place on the ground. He liked it when Sakura thought his idea was good. He couldn't get over it when she praised him, however, and would keep reminding her this was his idea until she got so annoyed with him that she punched him into next week. "What do you think, Sasuke, you in?" she asked.

"Sure. Why not. That means you're coming, brother," Sasuke shot at Itachi. "Mother is more likely to let me go if you are there with us." Itachi nodded, shrugging slightly. It wasn't like he minded. It meant more time with Sakura and that was more than he could ask for at this point. Narut looked expectantly at Neji and Hinata. Rock Lee had long gone off to practice his butterfly kicks far out of earshot, so Naruto wasn't too worried about him overhearing.

"I will accompany Hinata," Neji said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't really mind going with Hinata everywhere. It made him feel a semblance of normal and like he had friends. If you asked Naruto, he would say that Neji was their friend. If you asked Sasuke, it would be a much different story. Neji didn't care. He thought it would be nice to get away from this town for a weekend, even if it was spending time with kids he barely liked. He could deal with it. He would bring Tenten along. He liked Tenten and could deal with her for more than five minutes without getting a huge headache.

"It's settled then!" Naruto cried, almost jumping to his feet but realizing Sakura would probably sock him in the eye if he did. "We'll go this weekend! Sakura and I will handle the food and Sasuke and Itachi can handle the tents and Neji and Hinata can handle the firewood and sleeping bags!" Naruto was king at handing out jobs to do and strategizing who should do what. Sakura thought it was funny that he gave himself and Sakura control of the food. Naruto just wanted to make sure there was stuff he wanted.

"We'll meet at our house on Friday after school," Sakura said, knowing Naruto would forget a simple detail like that. "I'll probably be able to drive my dad's car and Itachi has a car too," she knew Itachi wouldn't care about being volunteered. By the way he didn't tense or shoot a glare her way, she was correct. The bell rang and she sighed, pulling herself up. She watched Itachi fix his hair back into the usual ponytail.

They said their goodbyes and headed back to the school. Naruto was still distracted by the way Sakura stuck to Itachi's side like glue. She was happy and smiling right now and he was glad to see it. He didn't think Sakura smiled enough anymore. He wrapped an arm around Hinata's shoulders and began walking back to the school with her.

* * *

"Are we all ready?" Sakura asked as she stood beside her father's car. It wasn't hard to get him to agree to this and Itachi was standing beside his car, slouching and waiting for everyone as well. Neji and Tenten were going in Sakura's car. Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke were riding with Itachi. Sakura thought it would be best that he have people he knew in the car with him so he didn't completely shut down by the time they got there.

"We are," Neji spoke for himself and Tenten. Sakura nodded towards her car and they took that as the signal to get on in. She waited for a moment for the other three. Naruto was just stuffing some more food into a cooler and that was the last one to go into the trunk. Itachi watched him like a hawk to make sure he didn't cause any harm to the outside of his car. This thing was expensive and if there was even a scratch on it, he was sure to hear it from his father later. Thankfully, Naruto managed to get the thing in without damaging anything.

"They are ready as well," Itachi said, watching the three pile into the car. His brother was up front with him at least and Naruto and Hinata were in the back seat. He could deal with that as long as there wasn't any funny business going on back there. "Shall I follow you?" he asked Sakura. She nodded, smiling. They got into their separate cars then.

"So why doesn't your father allow Naruto to drive this thing?" Tenten asked from beside her as she got in and buckled up. Neji, being the gentleman, had taken the backseat among all the tents and firewood. Sakura had agreed to take the firewood because her father didn't mind a little bit of mess like Itachi did. Sakura didn't want to put Itachi out more than she already was and so took anything he didn't want to carry.

"He doesn't trust Naruto to not get into an accident," Sakura laughed. "He was terrified when he was teaching Naruto how to drive and could only imagine the tumult he would instill upon anyone else if he were allowed behind the wheel freely." Tenten couldn't help but laugh at Sakura's words. She didn't know the girl well, but she liked the way she smiled at everyone and treated everyone equal. She wasn't too mean to anyone and generally was a pretty nice person. It was quite nice being around her.

"I would not trust Naruto to drive safely either," Neji commented, staring out the window. Sakura just laughed. She couldn't help it. Neji obviously wasn't funny outright, but there was something about his dry humor that just made her laugh.

The ride was silent the rest of the way to the campground, though Tenten did play some music that didn't bother either Sakura or Neji. They weren't quite the music type, but Tenten couldn't stand sitting in a quiet car for three hours. It was a frustrating thing to her. Neji was perfectly happy to watch the scenery fly by and Sakura was too busy watching the road to care about what was playing.

Sakura got out of the car when they got to the campground to rent the space. She sighed while she leaned against the counter, waiting for the ranger to come up and talk to her. It seemed like it took forever before he finally noticed her.

"What can I do for you, little lady?" the man asked with a smile. Sakura returned the smile.

"I just need a campsite. We don't need electricity." She'd done this several times at this point. Naruto never wanted to do it himself for whatever reason.

"Did you bring alcohol?"

"Sixteen."

"Are you going to party?"

"Doubt it." She had had this same conversation with this same ranger several times now. She was surprised he didn't just remember her at this point. She thought it was pretty hard to forget her hair, at least. The ranger rang her up for the two nights she wanted, and told her when she had to be gone by. Sakura only nodded through the entire thing until she was finally able to get back into her car and begin driving to the camping area she'd gotten. Itachi followed close behind her. She drove slowly around the lake in the gathering darkness, not wanting to make a wrong turn and end up eight feet under water.

Itachi, meanwhile, was having flashbacks and it was beginning to bother him. This lake was almost identical to the one he had attempted to end his life in three years ago. He tightened his hands on the steering wheel and grit his teeth, glaring at the car in front of him. Sasuke watched his brother in great curiosity, wondering what he was so upset about at the moment. It was a quick veer to the right and Sasuke grabbed the steering wheel while Itachi slammed on the brakes. His hands tightened on the wheel again and he glared. Why was this happening right now? Why was he having issues with being near a lake? It wasn't the same lake as three years ago, but it was bothering him nonstop. He wondered, slightly, if it was as cold now as that night. He growled under his breath.

"Do you want me to drive, Itachi?" Naruto asked, his hand on his shoulder and eyes worried. Itachi didn't answer, merely threw the car in park and stepped out of the driver's seat, waiting patiently for Naruto to switch with him. Sasuke watched the entire exchange and was quite surprised. He thought Itachi too proud to do anything of the sort. Naruto carefully drove Itachi's car, however, not wanting to make the older boy regret letting him drive. Meanwhile, Itachi's head was in his hands and he was dealing with the nightmare again. He felt the constricting water and iciness of the lake. He shivered uncontrollably and didn't realize when the car stopped. Naruto was out of the car in record time and flat out ran to Sakura.

"Sak, you've got to help Itachi," Naruto said breathlessly as he came up to Sakura. Sakura turned in surprise and curiosity shone in her eyes. "He's upset, you can help him." Sakura was confused as to why Naruto thought she could help him, but Itachi was her friend and if he was upset, she was going to go to him. He pointed her on her way and she walked quickly to the car. Sasuke was just getting out, Hinata standing nearby.

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Sasuke said, hand on the door like he was about to go and try to help him. Sakura shooed his hand off the door.

"I'll take care of it, okay Sasuke?" she smiled shakily at him, her want to get to Itachi bleeding into her smile. Sasuke blinked. He hadn't thought Sakura would want to deal with Itachi when he was like this, but he was proved very wrong.

"Thank you," was all he said before he went to join Naruto. He watched the car, though, wanting to make sure Itachi didn't do anything that would make him want to punch him.

"Itachi?" she asked softly, pressing her hand to his shoulder. She heard a strangled cough. She didn't know what to do. He tightened his hands in his hair. She was quite afraid that he was going to pull his hair out and so she grasped his hands, trying to relax his hold. He eventually did and fell forwards, against her chest. Bewildered, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and brought him closer. "What's wrong, Itachi?"

He didn't answer. She thought he was far too upset to do so. He had grabbed her around the waist and held her tightly to his body. He didn't want to let her get too far away. Sakura noticed he was crying and hyperventilating and her mind was thrown into overdrive. She had never thought the boy would cry.

"Sh, sh, Itachi, calm down," she hushed him, moving so she was a little more comfortable. She somehow ended up in his lap and pressed so tightly to his chest she could hardly breathe. "Tell me what's wrong," she said softly, brushing her fingers methodically through his hair, pulling his hairtie out in the process. He calmed slowly, eyes watching her chest move as she breathed. He couldn't help but hold her, inhale her scent. He loved that she was so close and was allowing him to hold her so very tightly.

"I apologize," he said lowly when he could finally find his voice. "I did not mean to act this way." Sakura was surprised. She wondered why he was apologizing when he was the one that was upset.

"I just want to know what's wrong." He weighed her impending reaction if he were to tell her. He knew he couldn't say that she was the one that saved him. He didn't want to admit that he had attempted to take his own life, but if anyone could identify with his feelings it was her. He didn't want to shut her out. He knew if he didn't answer, there would be a wall between them starting at this very moment. He didn't want that wall to rise, even though it was all because he was severely stunted in the way of life.

"I attempted to take my life a few years ago. It was around this time when the air was growing cold. I jumped into a lake and waited to drown."

"What happened?"

"Someone saved me," was all he said. He couldn't tell her who saved him. He didn't want to let her know that it was her, though he didn't know why. He thought it would hurt her far more than he was hurting right now. She would probably feel terrible that she couldn't remember and apologize profusely to him before getting upset about not remembering. He didn't want to cause her pain for his own selfish reasons.

"Well, I'm glad someone did save you, Itachi Uchiha," Sakura said, pulling back to bestow a glorious smile on him. He blinked, wondering how she could be so full of light and optimism when she had the same problems. He wondered if her happiness was feigned or if she was vulnerable to her dark thoughts when she was alone or someone brought it up. He wondered if she chose to be happy so others wouldn't worry about her. He wondered so many things, but could find no answers and no solid truth. She was smiling at him right now, though, and that was what was most important. He couldn't help himself, not really. She was smiling and looked so wonderful. He gave her a gentle nudge and connected their mouths for a soft moment. She didn't pull away. Her small hands were caught in his collar and he tightened his hold on her waist. When she did pull away, she was still smiling. "I hope the next time you won't be coming down from a panic attack." His heart skipped a beat at her words. She would allow him to kiss her again. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Very much so," he said after a few moments. She nodded. "I suppose that means we should join the others?" Dread grew in his chest though he was the one to say those words. He didn't want to leave for another minute or so. He was really enjoying having her here like this. He didn't know the next time he would be able to have her so close; it was calming to him.

"I suppose we should," though she didn't move either. He hugged her tighter and she didn't try to push him away. She seemed rather happy here as well and he didn't want to move until she was ready to. He would never tell her that he didn't want to go. She finally pulled away a few minutes later and patted his shoulder.

He followed her out of the car, but she made sure he looked alright before they did. She didn't want their friends to think he'd been having a mental breakdown. Their friends were setting up several tents in a half circle around the fire pit. Sakura led Itachi to her car to get some firewood to start the fire up.

"Are you alright, Itachi?" Sasuke had noticed they'd gotten out of the car and went straight up to them to make sure his brother was alright. Itachi froze at the sound of Sasuke's voice. He didn't think Sasuke cared so much as to make sure he was alright. Sasuke wasn't going anywhere, though, and Itachi turned to him, surprised that there was genuine worry in his brother's eyes.

"I apologize if I scared you, brother," Itachi said, trying to insert some warmth into his voice. He didn't want to put his brother out, not when he was taking the first step. "I am alright now." Sasuke nodded, the worry in his eyes fading. Sasuke was acting quite peculiar as of late. He wasn't so cold to Itachi and had sought him out to talk a few times in the past weeks. His behavior was curious, but Itachi couldn't complain. He was enjoying that his brother was attempting to make amends and he wasn't about to put a stop to it.

"Do you want help?" Sasuke turned to Sakura now, her arms full of firewood.

"If you want to grab more of it, that would be a help," Sakura smiled. She nodded towards the fire pit to Itachi, who already had his arms full of firewood as well. Sakura tossed hers off to the side and Itachi did the same, handing her a few pieces to make a fire with. He went to help Sasuke.

A couple hours later and everything was set up. Sakura collapsed in one of the camp chairs and sighed. She was tired after school today and then driving here and setting up. She was hungry too, though, and Naruto was pulling hot dogs out of one of the coolers. He handed her a stick and she raised it in thanks.

"So who's going in which tent?" Sakura asked after a yawn, blearily watching her hot dog cook. She didn't really like these things, but she wasn't about to give up perfectly good food.

"Me and Neji in one, Sasuke and Itachi in another and the girls in the last tent," Naruto said. Sakura only nodded. Naruto had obviously thought this out. He had thought Itachi would be more comfortable with his kin rather than someone he didn't know. Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto, but didn't say anything.

It was cold, Sakura realized, but a sweatshirt was way too far away and in a backpack. She didn't feel like getting up to get it, especially when her hot dog was almost done and she was so hungry. She felt a nudge at her left shoulder and she looked up to see Itachi holding his sweatshirt out for her. He took her stick so she could put it on. She hugged herself and smiled. She liked the way he smelled and she liked the way he didn't move away afterwards. He was just standing behind her, watching everything. It made her feel safer when he was near.

"Hey Sakura, remember the last time we went camping and I almost set the forest on fire?" Naruto laughed. He thought it was getting too quiet and thought it high time to bring some laughter to the small group. Sakura rolled her eyes at his words.

"Yea, because you threw the lighter fluid everywhere. That's why I make the fire now, remember?" Sakura raised her brows at him and he only laughed sheepishly.

"Wait, what happened?" Sasuke asked, interested. He hadn't heard this story yet and thought it might be quite hilarious. It usually was when Sakura and Naruto were involved. Somehow, Naruto always managed to get the two into a lot of trouble.

"Naruto got a little happy with the lighter fluid," Sakura said, rolling her eyes.

"No! I thought I had to shake it to make it come out better!" Naruto said, crossing his arms. Sakura fixed him with 'the look.' 'The look' was the look she gave him when he hadn't thought something through. She tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes. He hated that look, but knew he deserved it.

"Yeah, well while he was doing that it got everywhere. Then he threw a match in it," Sakura sighed. "I then ran around throwing water on everything while he stood there like a dumbass." Naruto flushed and Sasuke just shook his head. He could be quite dumb when it came down to it. Sakura pulled her hot dog from the fire and thought it was quite ready to eat. She grabbed a roll and went to eat it.

"I guess I'm not the best in an emergency," Naruto said sheepishly. Sakura only shrugged, too intent on her food to notice. She looked up at Itachi.

"Are you cold?" she asked. He simply looked at her impassively. There weren't enough chairs for everyone, but he wasn't complaining. He didn't even care that he was cold. He was enjoying being around everyone and being so close to her. Sakura sighed. She pulled herself out of the chair. He was confused, but she was ushering him into it. He was completely and utterly bewildered when she climbed into his lap and curled against his chest. His mind hadn't quite caught up with him, but he still wrapped his arms around her and kept her snugly against his chest.

"Naruto, why don't you think things through?" Sasuke was saying when Itachi checked back in. No one had really thought to watch Itachi and Sakura, which was nice for him. He didn't like when their actions were noticed. Sakura had finished her food and was threading her fingers through his hair, braiding it again. He half wondered why she liked to do that so much.

"Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time," Naruto laughed. They were talking about when Naruto had tried to go skateboarding on a garbage can lid and had ended up with a broken arm. Sakura was listening avidly. She didn't remember it, not at all, and latched onto any stories about the past. She thought that one, perhaps, would jumpstart her memory and bring something back to her. It hadn't happened so far now, but she still tried.

Naruto continued on with his stories, Sakura listening avidly while he did. Itachi kept her cradled into his chest, unspeaking as he did so. Sasuke was watching them from across the fire and he thought that his brother seemed rather calm and at ease at the moment. It was one of the few times Sasuke got to see that look in his eyes and it was interesting to say the least.

"Are you tired?" Itachi asked softly when she stifled a yawn. Sakura shook her head, though she really was. She was far too interested in Naruto's words to care that she was tired. She didn't want to miss a second of his stories, not to mention the fact that Itachi's chest was pressed oh so nicely to her back.

She didn't notice, because his grip didn't slacken, but she turned to him to say something and realized he was asleep. She couldn't help but giggle and turn back to her friends, curling her body a little more tightly against his. She didn't want him to get cold in his sleep. He grunted and she was slightly afraid that he woke up, but he only shifted slightly and calmed again.

"I have a story about Sakura," Naruto grinned. Sakura was very interested, but didn't say a word, as the rest of their friends around the fire didn't. "When we were eight, she did a nice face plant when we were skiing," Naruto laughed. Sakura didn't know how that was a good story and tilted her head at him, wondering why he chose this story to tell. "She went skidding like twenty feet and lost both her skis and her poles. I came up to her and she was just laughing and staring at the sky. When I asked her if she was okay, she just shook her head and rolled over and put her face in the snow."

"Naruto, I think you're getting too tired for more stories," Sakura said, shaking her head. It was far past midnight at this point and she knew his focus was probably shorting out.

"You're right," Naruto sighed, getting up and stretching his arms high over his head. "I think it's time for bed." Hinata and Neji had long gone to bed, but Tenten and Sasuke were still up and nodded in agreement, getting up and stretching as well. Sakura sighed. It seemed as though she was going to have to wake Itachi up.

"Hey," she turned to him and shook him gently, "Itachi, you have to wake up." He grunted lowly and didn't open his eyes, merely pulled her harshly against his chest. He was quite comfortable and didn't want to move. "Itachi," she giggled, "You have to go to bed." It took a little more prodding, but he finally opened his eyes. She managed to get his arms from around her and pulled away from him, stretching her cramped limbs. Naruto had gone off to his tent in this time. Tenten was waiting for her and Sasuke was waiting for Itachi, both not wanting to open the tents more than once. Sakura smiled up at Itachi and went off towards her tent.

"I thought you would take her head off," Sasuke said lowly as they walked to theirs. Itachi got in first and began rolling out his sleeping bag. He raised a brow at Sasuke.

"Why would you think that would happen?" he asked curiously. He didn't think he would want to take Sakura's head off, but perhaps his brother knew more than he did.

"Whenever I tried to wake you up, you gave me such a death glare that I was afraid it would actually kill me," Sasuke said as he unrolled his sleeping bag as well.

"Perhaps I do not like you waking me up. Sakura is quite nice to wake up to, however."

"Would you like her in here instead?"

"That would be preferable, yes." Sasuke couldn't help himself. He just smiled and shook his head. He had forgotten how very dry and blunt Itachi could be. Since he had decided to stop outright hating his brother, he had found the reasons he had enjoyed his company when he had been a small child.

"Goodnight, Itachi," Sasuke said, crawling into his bag. Itachi did the same and got comfortable.

"Goodnight, Sasuke." Itachi didn't mind his brother so much anymore. He was acting quite pleasant as of late and it was a nice thing. He hadn't thought his brother would ever be this pleasant to him again. The last time he had been treated to such behavior was when Sasuke was about nine or ten, before their father had gotten too abusive. Sasuke didn't know about any of that, though and Itachi thought it was for the best. He didn't want to draw it to his attention only to bring the abuse to him.

Itachi sighed lowly and pulled the sleeping higher up his chest, wishing Sakura was with him, warming him more. He missed her small body against his. He shook his head and shut his eyes tighter in an attempt to get some sleep.

* * *

They were hiking. Itachi hated hiking. He hated doing anything that required exercise, really. Sakura wasn't even near him. She was jumping and talking along with Naruto up at the front, Hinata smiling and blushing beside him. Neji and Tenten were talking quietly to each other as they walked along and Sasuke was beside Itachi, though they weren't speaking much. They didn't often speak much to each other.

Sakura had thought it best not to go towards the lake because of what had happened the day before, and so had gathered everyone together to go on a hiking trail. Itachi was sure it was a five mile trail and they were only about a mile and a half in. He was dragging himself along as he hadn't wanted to cop out and make her face fall. He was quite annoyed, however, that she was nowhere near him right now.

"Need to stop?" Sasuke asked as they finished climbing a hill. Itachi was breathing heavily and holding his chest. He didn't answer, but Sasuke took it upon himself to grab his arm and stop him. "Breathe, Itachi. We'll catch up in a second," he handed him a water bottle. "I didn't know you were so out of shape."

"I suppose it is all the cigarettes I have been smoking," Itachi commented, accepting the water. Sasuke was surprised and it showed on his face. "I apologize, you didn't know I smoke." Sasuke just brushed it off.

"It's okay. Just catch your breath." He wasn't about to try and lecture his brother on his life choices. He knew Itachi also smoked weed every now and then, but he thought it was better than letting his mind go crazy like the night before. He didn't want to see that ever again, so wouldn't say anything. Itachi didn't seem moved by his words, but Sasuke didn't think he really cared. Itachi handed the bottle of water back to him and gestured towards the path. They had to catch up to the group.

"Thank you," Itachi said as they began walking again.

"Tell me something, Itachi," Sasuke said, staring at the tops of the trees. They were just starting to change color and he was waiting for the flares of orange, red, and gold he loved about fall so much. "What happened last night?" he asked, referring to the panic attack his brother had suffered. Itachi didn't miss a beat as he turned his gaze to him.

"Our parents never told you why I went away for a year?" he asked, turning his gaze back towards the trail. He didn't want to look at his brother as he revealed this to him. He didn't know if his brother was going to be disappointed or disgusted with him and he didn't want to see either in his eyes, not with how well everything was going lately.

"They told me that they put you in a boarding school. I don't know why they brought you home or why they sent you there in the first place," Sasuke said, shrugging.

"They did no such thing," Itachi cut across. Sasuke was surprised. There was such venom in his voice that he had never heard before. "I attempted to take my own life in a lake much like the one here," he said, watching the skyline now. "It was much around this time of year as well. Sakura was the one that pulled me out and warmed me up. Our parents did not know what to do with me and did not want the news of my hospitalization to come out to the public. I was in a psychiatric institute for a year."

"What?" Sasuke couldn't quite wrap his head around the information his brother had shared. He hadn't known any of this, much less the fact that Sakura had saved him that night. They still hadn't caught up to the rest of the group and so was thinking of her pink hair. He wondered how it could have never come up in conversation.

"I was sure you weren't an idiot, Sasuke, must I really explain everything I just told you?" Itachi asked lazily. He stopped for a moment and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Since they weren't in sight of the group, he didn't feel bad about smoking. He didn't want to do it in front of Sakura. He didn't know what she would think if he did so.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it," Sasuke said irritably. "I just can't believe no one ever told me! Sakura didn't even mention that night to me and neither did Naruto."

"As I understand, Sakura had an accident not long after that. Would you care to tell me about that?" Itachi asked, raising his brow at Sasuke. He had told him something, now he wanted some information.

"Oh." Sasuke sighed. "It was a drunk driver. She was walking home from a movie with Naruto and she was in the crosswalk when the car hit her. They were turning, so they weren't going too fast, but she hit her head really hard. She lost most of her more recent memories, up until she was about seven or eight years old. She spent a while in the hospital and with private tutors so she could come back to high school. She worked hard and is graduating on time. We all thought she wouldn't get this far. There was a point, when she was in a coma and there wasn't much hope of her waking up, Naruto was beside himself. I couldn't help him and I didn't know how to," Sasuke sighed. It still hurt, to this day. He had hated seeing his best friend in such pain because he thought he should have done something to save Sakura. Naruto still wished that he could change places with Sakura.

"She told me she used to be anorexic."

"Yeah," Sasuke sighed, brushing his hands through his hair. "That was pretty tough too. Sakura has always had body issues and there was this one girl that didn't make it any better. She didn't know how to deal with it and so starved herself so she might seem more appealing. Her parents didn't know what to do or maybe they denied it, but Naruto was hit the hardest. I don't think he ever forgave himself," Sasuke shrugged.

"I do not think Naruto has forgiven himself for the fact that she is still tortured by things. She still cuts herself and he does not know how to fix it. Is this why he is so protective?" Itachi asked, remembering what the blond boy had told him. He understood now why Naruto was so protective of the girl and why Sasuke listened to him about anything that pertained to Sakura. Itachi couldn't quite believe the mess he had entangled himself into.

"Well, yeah," Sasuke shrugged. "Naruto's never gotten over the things that have happened to her. If you ask him, he'll tell you all the things he should have done to make sure she didn't get hurt. He'll tell you that he blames himself about everything and that he just wants to make sure she's safe and happy for the rest of her life."

"He should stop blaming himself," Itachi said gruffly. "There are things that you cannot avoid and cannot stop. What has happened to her was one of such things. She makes her own choices and would not listen to reason. He does not have the power to help her when no one listens." Sasuke was surprised.

"Does no one listen to you?" he asked quietly. He wanted to know. Were these words so deep and spoken so forcefully because Itachi knew from experience? Probably. Itachi was so much more than a distant older brother now and Sasuke couldn't quite believe he had thought so low of him before. He had thought he was a good for nothing pariah because of everything their father had said. He had thought he'd gotten kicked out of a boarding school and that he had no friends because he was so socially inept. Sasuke couldn't believe how in the dark he really was.

"You are listening, are you not?" Itachi asked, finally looking at his brother. Sasuke's surprise showed in his eyes. "If only one person listens…" he sighed and lit another cigarette. "It makes all the difference, little brother." Sasuke blinked. He had never thought his brother would call him that again. He hadn't called him little brother since they'd been nine and ten, before Itachi began pulling away from him and shutting him out.

"Does Sakura listen?"

"Sakura listens and is listened to," Itachi said lightly. They still hadn't come upon the group, though they were walking quite slow. They were too interested in keeping the conversation going. Sasuke nodded as he walked along, as though he was thinking about what to say.

"You're good for each other," he said quietly. Itachi nodded.

"I should say so. She calmed me down last night. I have found no one that is capable of such action."

"How did you get out of the psych hospital and still have these issues?" Sasuke asked. "I thought you had to go through tests to make sure your brain was right." Itachi chuckled. Sasuke started. He didn't expect his brother to laugh and so looked at him in mild surprise. He had never heard such a noise come from the older boy.

"I am very smart, Sasuke. It is quite easy to trick them. You must find the right words to say and they will let you go. It was far worse in that hospital than it is at home." Itachi hoped that Sasuke didn't think anything was going on at home, because he didn't feel comfortable in answering questions about that. He thought it passed Sasuke by when he asked the next question.

"What was it like? Sakura's been in one for a couple months, but she doesn't remember much. It was right after she woke up from her coma and was put there to help her get better. She really wasn't there for long."

"Horrid," Itachi pulled a face. "We were kept in windowless rooms with a single bed and perhaps a desk if you were lucky. The food was poor slop that was not even good enough for animals. We were let out three times a day for the bathroom for five minutes apiece and then we would have community time for an hour each day. It was all of us in a single, large room and most of us sat on the floor or on the benches and kept to ourselves. We had nothing to say to each other. I am sure a person goes more insane just by being there."

"I guess Sakura went to a better one."

"She did not attempt to take her own life. All of us in that disgusting place were there because we attempted to take our lives and therefore were kept on harsh surveillance. We each went to the psychiatrist every day. After a while, I learned what to say and how to say it," Itachi said smoothly. That place was a dark blotch in his memory and he would rather not remember it, but Sasuke was the one asking. He would tell Sasuke anything if to keep him from hating him again.

"Are you doing better?" Sasuke asked. He wanted to know if Itachi was going to try and take his life again. He didn't want that to happen, no matter what his feelings towards him were. He didn't want Itachi to think he hated him, even though he had had such a poor impression of him no more than a month ago.

"I will not attempt my life again," Itachi informed him. "I am far too interested in what is going on lately to want to."

"Do you mean Sakura?" Itachi nodded in answer. Of course he meant Sakura. He had found something more interesting than his dark thoughts and he couldn't help but want to stick around. Apart from his own selfish reasons, Sakura also seemed to be doing much better than before. He didn't want to give that up either.

"We should walk faster and attempt to catch up to them now," Itachi said, looking around the path. There was no clue as to when the group was through here and he thought they were too far at this point. Sasuke nodded. They set off at a brisk pace, Sasuke watching Itachi intently to make sure he wasn't losing his breath again. There wasn't any way an ambulance would get all the way out here and there was no way Sasuke even had cell service.

Itachi seemed to be fine, though. He seemed to be doing better after getting all that off his chest and perhaps it was helping him. Sasuke didn't know, he was just happy that Itachi had told him everything that he had. It was a nice look into his head and the things he had been through. Sasuke had never known and it was just a testament to how much he had been sheltered in his life.

They didn't find their friends again. They made it back to the camp and found them sitting around the fire. Sakura was up in a moment and running up to Itachi, patting him and grabbing his hands and generally fussing over him to make sure he was okay.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Itachi asked, grabbing her hands and holding her a little bit away from him. He wanted her to keep her focus.

"I was worried about you!" Sakura said, biting her lip. "I noticed that you guys weren't behind us and you never caught up with us and it took you so long to get back!" she was close to tears at this point. Sasuke just watched the entire time. He didn't interrupt, but nor did Naruto. They thought Itachi could deal with this at this point.

"I do not see why. We are grown. I am sure there was no reason to worry," Itachi said quietly, trying to keep her meltdown away from the rest of the group. "We are alright," he said. Sakura didn't burst into tears, not just yet, but her lower lip trembled and her hands tightened into fists. He sighed and pulled her harshly against his chest. "Calm down, Sakura, we were together. I highly doubt anything could have happened."

"I just worry a lot, okay?" she mumbled against his chest.

"I know." He gently pulled her away from his chest. "Why don't we eat?" he was starving. He hadn't eaten much for breakfast that day and was thoroughly looking forwards to eating some lunch. Sakura sniffled and wiped her nose before nodding and turning back to the fire. She pulled Itachi along behind her and waited for him to sit in the chair before sitting in his lap again. Their friends didn't even blink at this point. It was obvious that there was something that was going on between them, but they didn't want the same violent reaction Sakura had had the last time someone brought it up.

"Alright, we're having burgers!" Naruto said, pushing himself up. He went to the little grill that came with the campsite and began loading charcoal into it. He was glad to see Sakura warming up to Itachi like that and smiled to himself while he worked. He was glad to see the difference in Sakura's demeanor. She was a lot more optimistic lately and looked forwards to seeing Itachi every day at school.

Hinata got up to help Naruto, seeing Sakura and Itachi was making her slightly jealous. She couldn't do something like that right now because Neji would birth a horse if she did. It was nice to spend so much time with him, it was just slightly annoying that Neji was there, watching like a hawk. It was nice that Tenten was here,though. She was doing a good job at distracting him enough for Hinata to steal a few kisses here and there.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked when she realized he was too deep in his thoughts to realize she had come up next to him.

"I was just thinking about how much happier Sakura seems," Naruto said, still smiling to himself. Hinata nodded. Sometimes, she was a little jealous of the attention Naruto gave Sakura, but she had come to realize it was because Sakura needed it. She needed someone to look after her and worry about her because she spent most of her time doing the same for others.

"Itachi seems rather happy as well," Hinata said, turning to look at their group of friends. Sakura was just laughing at something Tenten had said and Itachi was talking to Sasuke, who was sporting a light smile as well. Everyone seemed rather happy as of late. "I didn't know him before Sakura started hanging around him, but he seemed foreboding when I did notice him."

"Well, yeah, he doesn't know how to talk to people still," Naruto shrugged. "He only really opens up around Sakura. Sasuke's been thinking better of him too and I think that's really good. Sasuke used to complain about him all day every day and now he doesn't say a word. He says a few good things about him now and wonders how he's doing sometimes."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked softly. She didn't really know that much about their friends. She was frightfully shy when it came to anyone but Naruto, but he didn't mind explaining everything and anything to help her along with that.

"Itachi's not home a lot," Naruto shrugged. "He wakes up super early and leaves before Sasuke gets up most of the time. He doesn't come home until after everyone's gone to bed. Sasuke didn't think much of it before, but now he wonders. It just shows how much his attitude has changed over the past few weeks."

"Really?" Hinata was interested. She had known Sasuke didn't think much of his brother, but the way he was talking to Itachi now, that wasn't the truth anymore. Sasuke didn't seem to hate his brother now as he talked with him and had that slight smile on his face. Itachi didn't seem bored either, he seemed as though he was listening avidly to his brother. It could have been because he was holding tightly to Sakura, who was still in his lap, but Hinata thought it was a mixture of the two.

"He used to say really bad stuff about him," Naruto shrugged and he didn't go into it. He didn't want to be overheard. Sasuke would definitely hit him over the head for it and he didn't want that. "He doesn't so much anymore. He doesn't really like that that's happening," he gestured to Itachi and Sakura holding each other, "but I think he's accepted it just like he accepted Itachi."

"He didn't want Itachi to be around Sakura?"

"He thought he was a bad person, what do you expect?" Naruto laughed. "I think he's getting better, though. He didn't glare at Itachi when Sakura fussed over him just now. I think that's a pretty good thing."

"Yeah," Hinata blinked. She hadn't really realized the transformation in Sasuke, but she was glad that it happened. He didn't look as sour as he usually did and she thought that was pretty good. Sakura laughed about something and Hinata watched Itachi's eyes light up at the sound. She smiled, thinking it was quite cute.

"Alright, we just have to let this get a little hotter," Naruto said, turning back to their friends. "I can't believe we got that fire built up again."

"Everyone likes it a lot. Why did you think we wouldn't?" Hinata asked, trying to keep him to herself for a couple more minutes. She didn't want to go back to Neji watching them like a hawk.

"I thought it would have gone completely out after breakfast. I guess I was wrong," Naruto laughed. "Let's get back to them. I want to sit down." His legs were a little tired after the long walk earlier and he didn't want to stand for longer than he had to. He led Hinata back to the group and sat beside her chair. He tuned into the conversation everyone was having.

"You know, Sasuke," Sakura was saying, "You could ask Itachi to help. He helps me with that class a lot. Nothing really makes sense to me. " Itachi didn't seem too happy about the idea and Naruto wanted to laugh. He thought the older boy was just annoyed because he thought of the tutoring as more alone time with Sakura and didn't want it to be interrupted.

"I will help if you need it," Itachi said anyways. He didn't want to make Sasuke feel like he didn't want him to ask for help. It wasn't really an issue even though his time with Sakura would be interrupted. He had her in his lap now and that meant more than anything else. She leaned back against him and moved slightly to get more comfortable.

"So, what are you guys doing for Halloween?" Naruto asked, trying to lighten the mood a little. Halloween was a little less than a month off and he was excited. He and Sakura usually got their parents to let them have a party and it was always fun.

"Are we trying to have a party this year?" Sakura asked, sighing. She didn't like decorating the house or cleaning up afterwards, though they usually had Sasuke's help.

"Why wouldn't we?" Naruto asked, laughing. "I love having our parties every year. Is that a problem?" he laughed again. Sakura sighed again.

"Well, it wouldn't be if you actually helped me set up and clean up instead of trusting that Sasuke will help me instead," Sakura shot at him, a glare in the works. Naruto laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"I'll be there to make sure he helps this year, Sakura," Hinata smiled. She and Naruto had only been together for about ten months now and so she hadn't been around the last year to offer her help. Sakura smiled at Hinata.

"That's good. At least I'll have you around to help me whip him into shape," Sakura smiled.

"If you allow me to, I will be there as well," Itachi said. Sakura giggled and threw her arms around him.

"It's a given that you have to show up," she laughed. She wasn't about to let him off the hook, whether he wanted to be there or not. Itachi could only hug her back, a slight smile on his mouth. He liked that she was so affectionate.

"I suppose I'll have to be there, if you would like to join us, Tenten," Neji sighed. If Hinata was bent on going that meant his uncle would invariably force him to go. He was rarely seen without Tenten, though, so it was a given that she would be there if Neji was, just like it was a given he would be somewhere if Hinata was.

"I don't mind a party," Tenten grinned. She didn't think she was really in on this group all that much, but they were pretty fun and never said anything to her that made her feel unwelcome. It was a nice feeling.

"Then it's decided!" Naruto proclaimed as he got up to check the grill. He thought it was hot enough at this point and went to the cooler to get the hamburgers out. He grinned when he saw his friends. Though most of them were antisocial and a little crazy, they were all talking and getting along. It was quite pleasant to see.

"I have to go to the bathroom!" Sakura shouted, hopping off Itachi's lap. "Who wants to come with me?" she directed to the girls. Itachi raised a brow. Why did girls always want to go to the bathroom together?

"I'll go!" Tenten popped up and hustled to Sakura's side while Hinata just shook her head with a slight smile. She didn't feel the need at the moment. Sakura gave a half wave before walking towards the road with Tenten to go to the bathrooms. "So, what's up with you and Itachi?" Tenten asked when they got out of earshot of the others.

"What do you mean?" Sakura was sporting a dark blush and she wasn't looking at the other girl. Tenten just laughed.

"I meant that you two are getting pretty cuddly in that chair. What's up?"

"Oh well, you know," Sakura mumbled. She still wouldn't look at Tenten. "I guess I like him. He kissed me last night and I didn't stop him. I kissed him back." Tenten was going crazy now, she didn't think she was going to get such details. She thought Sakura would shut down for the most part and not know what to say. Sakura was saying a lot right now and it was making her quite happy.

"That's so cool! So are you going to date him?"

"I don't know," Sakura muttered. "How about you and Neji?" she turned the conversation back on Tenten, who turned red now too. "Are you ever going to ask him out, because we all know he isn't going to do it himself."

"Well, I mean, we're just friends!" Tenten blubbered. She didn't mean to sound so silly, but she was caught off guard. She really didn't like it when someone did this to her. She liked talking about things with other people, but she didn't like when the attention was turned on her.

"Yeah, okay. You do everything together! He doesn't hate you as much as everyone else. That's a perfect reason to ask him out," Sakura said, watching the road. They were coming up on the bathrooms now and Sakura couldn't be happier about it. She was really not enjoying the topic of conversation here.

"Just because he doesn't hate me as much as everyone else doesn't mean he's in love with me," Tenten said, shrugging. "He hasn't said anything and he hasn't asked me out. Why would I do something like that if I don't have any idea if he likes me or not?"

"So you're just afraid of rejection," Sakura deadpanned. Tenten flinched. Of course, she saw through her excuses. She didn't know Sakura very well, but she did know that little fact about her. Sakura was just too good at seeing through bullshit.

Tenten didn't answer, merely took to walking towards the bathroom quickly. Sakura just grinned to herself and shook her head, following her quickly.

When they got back to camp, the hamburgers were almost ready and Naruto had corn wrapped in tin foil cooking in the fire. Sakura took her place back in Itachi's lap and smiled when his arms wrapped around her. He arranged her just as he liked and she melted into his chest. She liked this. It was calming to be in his arms. She forced herself not to worry about what everyone else was thinking.

Lunch was relatively quiet, everyone far too hungry to think of topics to talk about. Naruto came around with the garbage bag for the paper plates afterwards. Before anyone could speak really, Itachi nudged her.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" he asked. He had an idea, but he wanted her with him. He didn't want her to worry about him.

"Of course," she smiled and hopped off his lap, grabbing his hand and pulled him out of the chair. "We're going for a walk guys," she announced, not wanting Naruto or Sasuke to worry about them. They nodded and a few called goodbye as they walked away from camp. "So," she said when they'd been walking a few minutes, "why did you want to take a walk with me?"

"I want to go down to the lake, but I do not trust myself to go alone," Itachi said. Sakura blinked. She didn't know what to say to his words. She laced her fingers through his instead. He didn't look at her, but squeezed her hand to let her know he did notice and did appreciate it.

They didn't talk much as they made their way down to the lake. It was quite a walk, but neither of them minded it. Itachi was surprised, again, with how much this lake was similar to the one three years ago. There was a small bridge hanging halfway out into the water and he led her to it. He grit his teeth as he remembered how cold the water had been and how constricting it had felt to let himself drown. His knuckles were white as he gripped Sakura's hand. She took the lead when he couldn't take another step and led him to the edge, sitting down over the water.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked when he sat down next to her. He didn't nod or shake his head. He didn't know if he was okay. He was staring into the dark water, his mind going into overdrive. He felt the iciness. He felt the terror as water filled his lungs. He began leaning forwards and Sakura grabbed him, pulling him harshly to her chest and running her fingers through his hair and down his back. "Why did you want to come here if you knew this would happen?" she asked as she did, wondering why he would subject himself to such a thing.

"I thought I should face my fear," he said methodically, feeling as though his breath was stolen from him. He gripped her tightly and brought her harshly against him. He wanted her warmth and her comfort. He didn't want her to leave. He needed her here with him right now.

"Sure, but I don't think I'm the person to do that with," Sakura laughed. "I have a lot of my own fears I have yet to face."

"Perhaps watching me face my own will help you face yours," he said. It was getting easier to talk, easier to breathe. He hadn't gone swimming in the past three years, hadn't even been near the water, but here he was now. Sakura was making all the difference and he was thoroughly enjoying it. Sakura was still rubbing his back while she was thinking of what to say.

"I guess you're right. Will you be there for me then?" she asked quietly.

"Call me any time and I will be by your side for anything," he promised. He pulled away from her slightly to stare down into the water. It didn't cause great fear anymore, though his heart did beat a little faster and his breathing was a little harsher. She was gently running her fingers through his hair, though, and it was helping him. He wasn't alone. She was here and she would be here until he didn't want her to be anymore, but he could never think of that happening.

"Itachi," she said suddenly, breaking the calm silence between them. "Why did you kiss me?" she had been rather confused about the entire thing, but didn't want to put him off and think something was wrong while she thought through everything that had happened.

"You were quite beautiful and I could not help myself," he answered honestly. "Would you rather that I had not?"

"I was just confused. It was just kind of sudden, you know?" she shook her head. "I did like it, you know? I was just a little surprised that you did."

"It is no secret that I enjoy your company, Sakura. Is that an issue?" he turned an amused eye to her and she flushed. She giggled.

"I guess you're right. I shouldn't have been surprised. Are you planning on kissing me again though?" she didn't know if there would be a repeat act, she was just hoping there would be. She hadn't really been kissed before, not that she could remember anyways.

"I am," he said, staring at her. She seemed as though she wanted him to kiss her again right in this moment. He took the opportunity and slid his hand under her chin, lifting her face slightly to get a better angle and pushed his mouth gently on hers. Her hands caught in his shirt and grasped tightly. He thought her slightly inexperienced, but that didn't overshadow the happiness he felt in kissing her. He had been obsessing over her for so long and watching her from afar for so long, wishing she would notice and talk to him. He never thought he would be here, facing his fears with her and kissing her like it was normal.

She was smiling when he pulled away. She pushed him down on the planks and pushed her face into his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her. She was happy right now even though she was sure he was still afraid, though. She was here with him, though, and she wouldn't let anything happen to him. She guessed he knew that because he was relaxed at the moment.

They lay there for hours, until the sun went down and the stars were out for a while. Itachi was enjoying the view and having her so close. They had talked about several things while they were together, though it wasn't anything too deep. Their emotional sides were exhausted by this point and it was just light banter.

"We should head back soon," Sakura said after she checked her phone. It was about nine at this point and, though she enjoyed his company and having it to herself, the others were probably worrying about them. Itachi nodded and let her go, watching her pull herself up and stretch her arms over her head. "Wow, I'm tired," she yawned. After going to bed so late last night and then getting up early for the hike, she was just tired and beat.

"I am as well." He sighed. He wished he could pull her underneath his sleeping bag tonight, but knew there was a very slight chance of that happening. He just wanted to hold her all night. He sighed and pulled himself up as well, stretching his arms over his head too. He caught a glimpse of the water, but with Sakura by his side, there was just a slight rush to his head and heart. He didn't feel the iciness of the water this time or felt the constriction of drowning. Sakura gave him a slight smile and wrapped his hand in hers. She pulled him gently towards land and he went easily enough.

"We thought you two died," Naruto laughed when they got back to camp. "You guys were gone for like six hours. What were you doing?"

"Just talking," Sakura shrugged. "I'm tired, though, I'm going to sleep," she let Itachi's hand go and offered him a smile before going off to her tent. Itachi watched her go, wishing that he could join her.

"Go on, Itachi," Naruto laughed again. "We all know you want to go with her." Itachi was speechless. He didn't think Naruto would allow such a thing. "Don't worry about it," Naruto sighed. "Sasuke'll join us tonight and the girls already moved their stuff. Just don't do anything or all of us will come in there and punch you," he warned.

"I am not planning on doing anything that would warrant such a reaction," Itachi managed to say though his brain was all but a vegetable at this point.

"Good," Sasuke said darkly. Itachi shook his head. He walked to the tent Sakura had just disappeared into and climbed in. She was already in her sleeping back and was just a lump in the darkness. Sasuke had thrown Itachi's sleeping bag in here and he unzipped it, laying it out before laying his hand on Sakura's back.

"Itachi?" she asked voice thick as she was half asleep. "What are you doing here?"

"Our friends decided to be quite nice tonight," Itachi answered. Sakura was slight unsure as he coaxed her out of her sleeping bag and onto the open one he had lain out to lay comfortably with her. He grabbed her sleeping bag and unzipped it as well to act as a blanket. He laid next to her and pulled it over their bodies.

She was tense and unsure, not knowing what she should do in this situation. She hadn't been in bed with a boy before and didn't quite know how to lie or what to do. Itachi let out a low chuckle and wrapped an arm around her, turning her so her back was to his chest. He pressed his body harshly against her. She took a moment to get comfortable, but she was wonderfully warm when she did. He had curled his body around her and she felt quite safe and warm with him.

"Hey, 'Tachi?" she asked softly, voice thick with sleep again. "Promise me we'll do this again?"

"I promise, Sakura," he said lowly, his hand tightening its hold on her stomach. She only smiled, already on her way to sleep.

* * *

 **My small, fat tabby cat sleeps on my lap for seven hours at a time. I get sore, bruh. Please move.  
**

 **She also likes tummy rubs.**

 **Weird ass cat.**


	3. Chapter 3

**There was a comma at the beginning of this chapter.**

 **What are you doing comma?**

 **Go away.**

* * *

He sighed. He really didn't want to get out of bed. She was sleeping beside him, her pink hair spread haphazardly over the pillow. Her chin was on his shoulder and her hand splayed across his chest. He knew he would wake her if he were to move, but he didn't think he could stay here the entire night. He would be back tomorrow to help her set up for the party. He only sighed again and began getting up.

"Don't go," her tiny voice reached him before he could get out of the bed. He wanted to hit himself over the head. He didn't mean to wake her up. Her small hand was grabbing his sleeve, preventing him from leaving.

"Sakura, I can't stay the night," he said quietly, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. "You know I have to leave." Sakura made a noise in distaste and her grip tightened on his sleeve.

"My parents already left," she pouted. They usually left when Sakura and Naruto had a party. They didn't want to be around for all the children in their house. Sakura wasn't quite sure whether it was because they trusted their kids or because they didn't want the headache of chaperoning a teen party.

"I will not stay just because your parents aren't here, Sakura. That is overstepping boundaries."

"Oh, shut up with your chivalry, Uchiha," she grumbled, pulling him harshly back down to the bed. Itachi sighed. It seemed he wasn't getting out of her bed. She curled her body against his again and let out a soft noise of happiness.

"Your brother will be sure to murder me in the morning, Sakura."

"He wouldn't dare. He's got his own secrets he doesn't want out in the open," Sakura yawned. "Stop trying to leave, Itachi. Tell me if you don't want to stay. I'll take it very personally." Itachi just shook his head and gave up. She wasn't going to let him go, not until the morning at least. He wondered if she would make him bring her with him if he went home early in the morning, before his parents woke. He didn't want to deal with his father still.

Sakura pressed her body harshly against his in an attempt to make him wrap his arms around her. He chuckled lightly and wrapped his arms around her, turning on his side. "I'll have to leave early," he said softly. "Around four. I'll be back to you as quickly as possible." Sakura only nodded slowly, sleepily. She just wanted him to stay for now. She didn't like it when he had to leave so early. She woke rather easily when she'd only been sleeping a couple hours.

"Just go to sleep, 'Tachi," she said, already mostly on the way herself. "It'll be fine." She was answered by him pulling her a little more tightly against him and resting his head near hers.

She didn't wake this time when he left the bed. It was almost four in the morning and he wanted to be in and out of the house before his parents woke up. He would have to wake his brother up and deal with his prissiness, but that was more than alright by him. He could crawl back into bed with Sakura when he got back.

Naruto was shuffling around the kitchen for some ungodly reason when Itachi went to leave. The blond just raised his hand in farewell as he quietly opened the door. It was a quiet morning. The sun wouldn't be rising for another four hours, so he wasn't too worried about the rising sun getting into his eyes.

Curiously, Sasuke was up when he got home. He peeked out of his room when Itachi passed by and he followed him to his room, where he was pulling out clothes to take a shower and get back on his way.

"They didn't notice you were gone," Sasuke said while he watched his brother shuffle through his drawers.

"I didn't think they would," Itachi answered, finding what he wanted. He was just going to wear some dark jeans and a black t-shirt that he knew fitted him quite nicely. He simply thought Sakura would have a field day if he wore something such as this.

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, watching his brother. Sasuke had started waking up this early so he could accompany Itachi with his morning routine, so it really wasn't a surprise that he was awake this early. He had noticed, however, that Itachi hadn't slept in the house the night before. He knew better than to tell his parents and so just kept it to himself.

"I come home after they are asleep and I leave before they wake. Why do you think they would miss me?" Itachi asked, pulling himself up and searching for a clean towel now. His room was impeccably clean, but he still didn't know where he had put his towel the last time he'd cleaned it. He finally found it folded neatly on the seat of his desk chair.

"Are you going to take me back with you?" Sasuke asked as Itachi was about to walk out the door towards the bathroom. He nodded. Sasuke didn't say anything else and just went off back towards his room. He had to grab a few things and get everything he needed so he wasn't holding Itachi up on their way out. He had told his mother the night before that he was going to Sakura and Naruto's party and would probably be gone early in the morning, so she wasn't about to call him and wonder where he was. His parents never seemed to care what Itachi was up to and he wondered why. He thought they would be all over him with the way he was never home and rarely said a word to him. He didn't think he had heard or seen his brother around his parents in more than four months. It was pretty unsettling to say the least.

Itachi was done in the shower amazingly fast, especially with the amount of hair he had. Sasuke was just putting the last thing into his backpack when he turned to see Itachi standing in the doorway.

"Are you ready?" he asked. He looked quite uncomfortable. He never seemed comfortable when he was in the house. Sasuke just grabbed his bag and nodded towards the door. He followed Itachi's careful steps down the stairs and let him close the door silently behind him, as he always did. Itachi was very good at being quiet and not waking their parents up.

Itachi disappeared up the stairs when they got back to Naruto and Sakura's house. He was confused, but Naruto, who was in the kitchen and eating some ungodly concoction of potatoes, eggs, and a shitload of ketchup, looked up and said, "He's going to lay back down with Sakura. She made him stay last night." Sasuke only nodded and went to steal some of the food on the stove.

Sakura woke up when Itachi crawled back into bed. She turned to him and fitted her body against his, smiling when his arms wrapped tightly around her. She didn't really miss him in the past hour or so, but it was always nice when this happened. She loved being in his arms. She liked to hug him and sit next to him any chance she could. He never seemed to mind, either.

"I hope you can go back to sleep," he said quietly, brushing his fingers through her hair, hoping she would be able to do as such. Her bright eyes were watching him and he knew that she wasn't going to be able to sleep any time soon. He was slightly upset, for he was still quite tired and would like to sleep, her body so very close to his. It didn't happen very often and he treasured when it did.

"Just go to sleep, Itachi," Sakura said, stifling a yawn. She was still tired, but not tired enough to get back to sleep just yet. She reached for the remote to turn on the television to numb her brain a little while Itachi was getting to sleep. He held her a little tighter and she smiled, feeling quite warm. He was a lot warmer than she was and it often warmed her up instantly when he hugged her.

She pulled his arm away from her waist to get a good look at his forearm. A few weeks ago, it was littered with half healed wounds, white and red scars alike. There were far more scars that were completely healing now and he had only cut himself once or twice, they were half healed at this point. She thought he was feeling happier for this to happen. She was feeling the same lately. Her own forearms were less red lately.

He woke slightly, only to return his arm to her waist and tug her to his chest in a short hug. He didn't like it when she got out of his arms or loosened his hold while he slept. Most of the time, he would wake up, perhaps slightly, and return her to his tight hold. She smiled and settled back into the bed, so very comfortable.

A few hours later, he was awake and waking her up. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes. He was sitting above her, her cheek on his chest, and he gave her a small smile when she finally looked up at him. He pushed her up to kiss her and she smiled into it. He was a fan of waking her up slowly and giving her quite a lot of affection as he did so. It was making her quite happy lately.

"Hey," she said softly when he pulled away. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. He still wasn't one for many words. She found herself providing most of the conversation, but that was alright by her. He listened intently to everything she said and often said something if he really wanted to. It was a nice relationship they had, though Itachi still hadn't tried to ask her out or make it official. She didn't mind. It wasn't like she was going to go off and find someone else. He was perfect.

"I believe we should go downstairs. I believe Naruto is attempting to cook," Itachi said. He had been smeeling something from downstairs for a few minutes now and he didn't know if Naruto was actually allowed to use the stove in fear of burning the house down. That was why he finally decided to wake Sakura up.

"Ah, fuck," Sakura was up in a moment, just as Itachi thought she would be. "You should have woken me up earlier," she laughed. "Naruto's not a very good cook." She grabbed a sweater and shrugged it over her shoulders, watching Itachi until he got up as well. He only shook his head and joined her. Sakura was walking quickly down the stairs while he followed quite more slowly behind her. She finally made it to the kitchen and breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"What?" Sasuke asked as he was pulling a pancake from the pan he was working over. Sakura laughed and leaned against a countertop. Naruto was doing the same from the other side of the kitchen. He was also watching Sakura, confused.

"Well, Naruto isn't allowed to cook because he's horrid at it and burns everything he touches," Sakura said, laughing. Itachi had gotten to the kitchen by now and leaned his back against the same counter Sakura was leaning on. He wrapped an arm around her waist and silently brought her against his side.

"I don't burn everything!" Naruto whined.

"Yeah, when you cook in the microwave," Sakura shot at him. Naruto only laughed and looked away. He couldn't get into this. Sakura would bring up a lot of stuff in the past two years that he had managed to fuck up. He didn't like the stories about how he failed at cooking. He really wanted to cook and he really wanted to cook really cool stuff, but his tendency to burn anything and everything shot that dream down pretty early. "Naruto, you just have to learn to turn the heat down," Sakura laughed. "You're too impatient when it comes to cooking. You cook everything at way too hot a temperature because you want it to be done quicker. Or you forget that you put something in the oven and just leave it in there for an extra forty minutes."

"Yeah, I seem to have that problem," he laughed. Sakura was generally pretty sassy, but she would tell him how to fix it eventually and be really nice about it. Hopefully, he could get her to help him out with the issues he was having in the kitchen.

"Breakfast is ready by any case," Sasuke announced, setting plates in front of his three friends. Itachi nodded in thanks and followed Sakura to the dining room. Naruto remembered to grab the syrup and he pulled Sasuke with him. They settled at the table.

"So me and Sasuke are going to get the decorations," Naruto said as he ate. "Hinata will be here around noon and she said she'll go with you and Itachi to get the snacks." Sakura only nodded.

"No alcohol this year, Naruto," Sakura warned. "We barely got away with it last year. I'm surprised mom never noticed the stuff we broke."

"I replaced it with shit that she's had upstairs since we were kids," Naruto said, laughing. "She doesn't notice as long as something's there to take it's place." He didn't say this to try and convince Sakura to allow alcohol, because he thought it was a bad idea too. They hadn't even supplied the alcohol last year and weren't planning on having those who did this year. It had pretty much turned into a rave and they had an issue controlling it. They hadn't gotten the cops called on them, which was a stroke of luck. They would have been grounded for years if they had been.

"Okay," Sakura shrugged. "I hope you know Sasuke's going to drive if you take dad's car. I don't want you to wreck it while they aren't here." They always went to great lengths not to destroy anything while they had these parties and their parents were away. Their parents trusted them enough to make sure nothing was destroyed and that trust would definitely be destroyed if they did.

"I figured," Naruto laughed. "I really need to get my own car." Then, if he destroyed it, it wouldn't be something of his father's. He'd been saving money for months now in order to get a pretty bruised up car that wouldn't mind a few more crashes and wouldn't matter if he completely totaled it. He had a part-time job he worked some afternoons after school. Right now, he had about four hundred dollars, but wanted at least a thousand. He wasn't going to buy a car for that much, but he knew if he bought a five hundred dollar car it was going to need some sort of repairs. Sakura didn't feel the need to get a car. Their father had pretty much already given her his. He hadn't said it, but he had let slip that he was thinking of gifting it to her on her eighteenth birthday so she had it for college. It was a nice car and Naruto knew that was why their father would never dream of giving it to him.

"You'll get there soon," Sakura said with a small smile. Naruto just nodded, happy that Sakura gave her optimism freely. It often made him feel better when he was down in the dumps about something, like now.

"So where are we going?" Sasuke asked, raising a brow at Naruto. If he was supposed to be driving, he would like to know where they were going. Naruto shrugged.

"There's a party store on the edge of town, so probably there," he said. "They should have a lot of Halloween stuff this time of year." Sasuke only nodded. Sakura was quietly eating her pancakes and thinking of what she needed to get in terms of food.

"Naruto, would you hand me a notepad?" she asked, trying to keep her focus on her thoughts. He nodded and popped up from the table, going to his father's study to get it. He was back rather quickly, handing her the notepad and a pen. She began writing down what she needed. She thought a lot of chips were in order and maybe some crackers and cheese. She could do a veggie platter and maybe some fruit. She was writing, not really paying attention, when Naruto suddenly jumped up.

"You know what we need?" he exclaimed. "We should get a shit ton of fairy lights, you know?" Sakura only shook her head at his sudden outburst. He did this a lot and it didn't surprise her anymore, though Itachi and Sasuke jumped just a little bit at his outburst.

"We can get them, idiot, but that didn't need a whole shitload of yelling," Sasuke said, giving his best friend the side eye. Naruto laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Do you think Neji will come with Hinata?"

"Probably," Sakura said, pausing in her writing. "When Hinata wants to go out, Neji isn't usually far behind. That means Tenten's going to be with him, though. She doesn't have her own car so he'll pick her up before coming here. Tenten likes exciting stuff, so she'll probably drag Neji along with you guys instead of going with us to the boring grocery store," Sakura laughed. Sasuke nodded. Sakura did really know what their friends were likely to do. She was often the one that would sit back and watch everyone's interactions. She was usually right when she would comment on what their friends would probably do.

"Good to know," Sasuke said quietly. Sakura just nodded and sighed, pushing the notepad away so she could finish her breakfast. Itachi hadn't said anything this entire time, but didn't think he needed to. He was just happy that Sakura was next to him and would be for the rest of the day and night. She was prone to sticking to his side and he to hers.

Sakura helped Naruto wash the plates when breakfast was over. She thought Sasuke would attempt to talk to Itachi, but the dining room was completely silent. Sasuke wasn't much for words and neither was Itachi, so she should have expected it.

"Let's just watch some TV while we're waiting for the others," Sakura said, shrugging. There wasn't much to do without them. She knew she had to change out of her pajamas eventually, but didn't think she would until she changed into her costume for the night. She wasn't much for changing her clothes more than she had to.

The brothers followed them into the living room and Sakura slid into one of the couches, Itachi joining her. She stretched out on the couch and laid her head in his lap, smiling when she felt his hands stroking through her hair. Sasuke and Naruto took an armchair apiece and Naruto flipped on the television, trying to find something that would entertain all of them.

"Charlie Brown!" Sakura called out. She was really just a five year old kid on the inside and couldn't help but watch Charlie Brown every chance she got. Naruto just laughed and flipped back to that channel, placing the remote on the end table near him. Sakura smiled and relaxed back into Itachi's body. He had no comment on what they decided to watch. He didn't care. He was just glad that Sasuke wasn't glaring daggers at him for having her head in his lap.

"Sakura, why do we have to watch this every year?" Naruto asked with a short laugh. "There are better Halloween movies, you know." Sakura laughed and sighed, her cheek resting on Itachi's knee.

"Why does it matter?" she asked, amusement thick in her voice. "Maybe I'm just a five year old kid and I still love these cartoons." Naruto just rolled his eyes. Sakura made them watch every Charlie Brown special every year during the holidays. They got old a long time ago, but she still didn't care. He stopped. He realized that this was probably the second year she even remembered watching them with him. He realized that, though they had watched them since they were children, she didn't remember most of the holidays they'd had together. It calmed his dissension and made him realize he should just enjoy it as well.

"Okay, Sakura," he finally said a few moments too late. Sakura grinned. Itachi rested his hand on her waist, more interested in watching her than the movie. She didn't care. She had gotten over his watching her a while ago. She was much more interested in other things than trying to figure out why he loved to watch her.

"Hey, Itachi," she said, turning to look up at him. "Do you have an issue with Charlie Brown?"

"Why would I?" he asked. Truth be told, he had never really seen it. He wasn't one for TV, mostly because he didn't spend any time at home. When he had been younger, he spent most of his time in his room so he could avoid his father. His father still got him most of the time. He found it better to stay out of his way rather than join Sasuke and watch things like this.

"I don't know," she shrugged. She turned back to the movie. It was mostly silent while it finished and when the next movie the channel started, the doorbell rang. Naruto jumped up and all but ran towards the door. He whipped it open to see Hinata, Neji, and Tenten. He tugged her into a tight hug, smiling from ear to ear as he did so. Neji gave him a death glare from over Hinata's shoulder, but he couldn't care less. He loved giving hugs and if Neji had a problem with it he would be happy to hug him too.

"How was your morning, Naruto?" Hinata asked, a smile on her face as he finally let her go.

"It was great! Sasuke made pancakes and Itachi's been keeping Sakura occupied all morning," Naruto grinned. Usually, he wouldn't think it was such a good thing, but if she was distracted with Itachi, she would be alone with her thoughts. She would have been in bed still, unable to get out. Itachi was giving her a reason to be motivated and that was good enough for him.

"Well, that sounds nice," Hinata smiled. Naruto stepped to the side and allowed the other three into his house. Hinata stayed by his side while the other two made their way to the living room. Neji had already been here several times and knew his way around the house. Hinata and Naruto followed them much more slowly. "So, what's the plan?" she asked. They stopped well before the living room, not wanting to distract the others with their conversation.

"I thought you would like to go with Sakura more than me," Naruto laughed. "You're going to help her go out and get snacks with Itachi. We figured Neji would be more likely to follow Tenten and that she would want to do the more exciting thing, which is getting and putting up the decorations, so she and Neji are going to go with us."

"Sakura said that, didn't she?" Hinata laughed. Naruto grinned and nodded. Hinata knew when the idea was Sakura's or Naruto's. If it was well thought out and made sense, it was usually Sakura's. If it was more or less made by impulse, it was Naruto's.

"You know me too well," he laughed. He gestured towards the living room and she followed him, sitting next to him on the loveseat. He wrapped his arm around her, though he got a glare from Neji. Hinata wanted to laugh. Neji really hated it when Naruto gave her affection in front of him, but Naruto didn't care in the least. He rather enjoyed having her near him, much like Itachi did. Itachi had pulled Sakura to sit in his lap at this point and she seemed pretty comfortable, her head on his shoulder and seemingly growing sleepy. It made Naruto want to laugh. If Sakura was comfortable, she could sleep pretty much anywhere. It was one of the few things they actually had in common.

"We should get going, huh?" Sakura asked after a few minutes. She liked the movie that was on, but if they watched it, they would be getting back from the store later than they should be. She slid off of Itachi's lap and stretched.

"Well you should change first," Naruto laughed. "You're still in your pajamas!" Sakura looked down. She was wearing black pajama bottoms that sported bright yellow polka dots and a white sweater that donned black hearts. She shrugged.

"I'm not changing more than once today and I have a costume to put on later," she said matter of factly. Naruto could only laugh. He seemed to have forgotten Sakura's rule. If she was going somewhere or had a party to attend, she was going to stay in her pajamas all day until it was time to get ready. She didn't have time for the unnecessary laundry changing more than once brought.

"Alright, alright," Naruto said, allowing Hinata to get up before pulling himself up. "I should have known you were going to use that explanation." Sakura only grinned mischievously before turning to Itachi and offering him a hand. He took it and allowed her to hoist him up. Not for the first time, he wondered how she had so much strength when she probably weighed only half what he did. It was always a surprise to him. "Okay, so Neji and Tenten are coming with me and Sasuke. Hinata's going with Sakura and Itachi." Neji didn't seem too happy that he and Hinata were being split up, but he did seem particularly happy that she wasn't going to be around Naruto. That's just how Neji was. He really disapproved of their relationship, but would never breathe a word of it to either. If he made her happy, that was what mattered, no matter Neji's personal opinion. It had taken him a couple months to realize that, though.

"Let's get going then, shall we?" Sakura asked, on her way towards the door. She pulled her coat off the hook and shrugged that on first before taking the keys from the hook and tossing them to Sasuke. She could allow him to drive her father's car. She had thought of Itachi allowing Sasuke to drive his car, but Itachi seemed rather anxious about his car. She had wondered why, but it really didn't matter. As long as she or Naruto were in the car with Sasuke while he drove, it was alright by her father. They followed that rule to the T.

Not much was said as they filtered into their respective cars. Sakura slid into the passenger's seat of Itachi's car and Hinata got into the back. "Where are we going?" Itachi asked Sakura before he even started the car. He wanted to know which way to turn instead of being confused while he was pulling out of the driveway.

"We're just going to the grocery store about ten minutes away," Sakura said, shrugging. "You're going to go that way," she pointed to the right." Itachi nodded and started backing up. The car was silent as he drove. He didn't like a lot of music. He thought Sakura would say something to either him or Hinata, but she was being rather quiet today. Her hand was in his, though, and she wasn't clenching it like it was a lifeline, so he didn't think they were dark thoughts. Perhaps she was rethinking her list and making sure she didn't want anything else or she was thinking of the costume she would wear tonight, he didn't know. He just hoped he was right and it wasn't anything that would make him lie in bed with her for three hours before taking his leave. He thought for a moment. He didn't know if her parents were coming home tonight, early the following morning, or wouldn't be back until the afternoon. If it was the last choice, or maybe even the second, Sakura was sure to wrestle him into staying the night again.

"Oh, right here," Sakura said, pointing to the store. Itachi nodded and pulled into the small parking lot. There was a spot right near the door and he was happy about it. It was rather chilly today and he didn't want to make Sakura walk further than she needed to.

Sakura hopped out of the car and tugged on Itachi's hand, pulling him towards the door, chattering excitedly. Hinata couldn't help but laugh, watching as she got out of the car. Sakura was quite excitable when she wanted to be. She followed behind them silently and Sakura seemed to notice her after a few seconds, turning to grab her hand and pull her towards the store as well.

"So we need lots of chips! I want to make a veggie platter and have some fruit and candy around too. We need some candy for the guests and some for any trick-or-treaters that come by," she informed them when they got into the store.

"What about drinks?" Hinata asked, tilting her head.

"Oh shit, I didn't even think about that," Sakura said, stopping for a moment. Hinata laughed and Itachi only stared at her, an entertained look in his eyes.

"We can get some soda and some ice tea," Hinata said, trying to offer Sakura some ideas.

"That sounds smart. I'll leave you in charge with that," Sakura said, laughing. She was too distracted with thinking of all the snacks she was going to get and didn't want to think about drinks. Hinata didn't seem to have an issue with that and so took a cart, walking off towards the aisle. She thought Sakura would want several twelve packs instead of two liters. It was less of a chance that soda would end up all over the floor with cans. With regular cups, it was more likely people would bump into them and their contents would make a sticky mess.

Sakura, meanwhile, was walking along with Itachi while he pushed the cart. He had insisted and she thought it was sort of cute. She was holding her notepad as they walked along the snack aisle and she loaded the cart up with chips, crackers, and the like. He looked into the cart with a raised brow.

"Do you really need this much?" he asked.

"You don't know how many people come to our parties, huh?" Sakura asked, laughing. "Half the school usually turns up and so do some college kids. Alcohol isn't allowed though, so if you see anyone trying to bring it in, use your stoic, intimidating manliness to make them go away, okay?" she laughed again. Itachi raised a brow at her. "You're intimidating! And you look like a second-year college kid, at least. You'll be a good bouncer."

"You expect me to stand outside the door all night?"

"No, silly," she giggled and tossed a few more things in the cart. "You just have to come with me to answer the door when the doorbell rings. I'm way too quiet for anyone to listen to me when I tell them to go away."

"You think I would be able to do that?" Itachi asked. "I am the most socially inept man on the planet." Sakura couldn't help but laugh again as she led him towards the produce section for all the veggies and fruits she wanted.

"Well, then I'll tell them that they aren't welcome and you just have to back me up," she laughed. "Just look all sinister and stuff, you know?" Itachi just shook his head. He wasn't going to get out of this. Sakura just wanted everything her way and he wasn't about to say no to her. He was sure he wasn't even able he could say no to her.

"I suppose that should work," he said. Sakura only smiled brightly at him and began putting more into the cart.

"What do you think? Should we get hummus or just ranch dressing?" she asked, stopping in front of the hummus and wrinkling her brow. She wasn't sure. She loved hummus, but ranch would probably go more quickly.

"Just get the hummus. I am sure you have ranch dressing in your house somewhere if someone wants it," Itachi said easily. Sakura just smiled and tossed it into the cart. He was so right. She sighed.

"I think that's all. Why don't we go find Hinata and pay for all this?" she asked, turning back towards where they came. She hoped Hinata was easy to find. She was right. Hinata was just sitting in the drink aisle. She sat beside the cart, just looking through something on her phone. "Hinata," Sakura laughed, "What are you doing on the floor?"

"I was waiting for you," Hinata smiled. "I didn't know where you'd be so I just decided that staying here would be the best option. Is this enough?" she pointed to the cart.

"Oh, hell no," Sakura laughed. Hinata had grabbed a carton of several different kinds, but Sakura knew she would need double that. "Here, Itachi, help me get one of every kind," she said, gesturing towards the cart. Itachi just nodded and helped her pull down more cartons. Once they were done, Hinata got up from the store and began pushing the cart towards the checkout area. "Here, Hinata," Sakura handed her a few twenties. Hinata nodded and went into her own lane. Itachi showed up to help her with all the soda.

"I don't need help, you can go back to Sakura if you want," Hinata said softly. She almost thought Itachi didn't hear her, for he didn't answer her for a long moment.

"These are quite a bit heavier than what Sakura has in her cart, " Itachi said. "I believed you needed more help than she does." He didn't mention that Sakura was also the strongest girl he knew and obviously didn't need his help, heavy items or not. Hinata smiled and nodded, accepting his help.

They met up with Sakura outside, who was already loading things into the back of Itachi's car. She was organizing it quite nicely and she pulled a rough blanket from the corner of the trunk, spreading it out. He gave her a curious look.

"I don't want the soda to break. If it does, we can clean the blanket," Sakura explained. "It's a lot harder to clean your trunk." Itachi was surprised with the amount of thought she put into this. She was trying her hardest not to create a mess, though there wasn't much evidence to point towards a mess. She was very in tune to everyone's emotions and probably knew he was anxious about messes in his car.

Hinata and Itachi handed her the cartons of soda that she put into the trunk very neatly. He thought, for a fleeting moment, that she was slightly OCD, but he couldn't care less. She smiled once they were done. "Why don't you two get in the car?" he asked, pulling the carts towards him. "I'll put these away." The girls nodded and got into the car. Itachi joined them not long after.

"How do I get back to your house?" he asked Sakura, not really knowing the way though he'd already made the journey once. He wasn't the best with directions. Sakura only smiled and patiently directed him. It didn't take long to get back to her house.

"Sakura, how do you not have the cops called on you with all the kids here every year?" Hinata asked as they got out of the car and were bringing the groceries in.

"If you haven't realized, the closest neighbor is like a quarter mile away," Sakura laughed. Hinata was slightly surprised. She hadn't thought of that. Her house was much the same and she guessed Itachi's was too. "We can make a lot of noise without the neighbors calling. If there are kids outside and they think they're drinking though, we'll definitely get the cops called. So let's try and keep everyone inside, okay?" Sakura smiled. Hinata only nodded.

It took them a good five minutes, but they finally got all the groceries inside. "Alright, I'm going to cut up all this fruit and all these vegetables," Sakura said. "You guys can grab some chairs and sit with me, or you can go watch TV in the living room until the others come back." Hinata was certain Itachi would choose to stay with Sakura, so she went to grab a couple chairs. Itachi thanked her quietly and sat beside her.

"Do you have anything I can snack on right now?" Hinata asked softly. It was about two in the afternoon now and she didn't have anything for lunch. Sakura tossed some crackers and cheese at her from the fridge, handing her a knife and a cutting board after. "Thanks," Hinata said with a smile on her face. "Would you like some, Itachi?" she asked.

"If you would be so kind, I will oblige," Itachi said politely. Hinata wondered why he was so nice and polite. He could be dry and sarcastic sometimes and she thought he was endlessly more entertaining when he was. She cut some cheese and handed him some crackers before doing the same for herself. Sakura set a couple glasses of juice in front of them. She was a sweet hostess when it came down to it and she seemed to know what they wanted or needed before they could say a word.

"Would you like any help, Sakura?" Hinata asked after a few minutes, uncomfortable by the silence. She figured the two often spent their time in silence. They didn't seem to mind the silence by any means.

"I'm good. I like cutting vegetables and such," Sakura said with a smile. Hinata just nodded, sitting quietly again. After a few minutes and more crackers and cheese, she pulled out her phone and distracted herself with texting Naruto. Naruto seemed to be having a fun time shopping with the others. He was currently going on and on about fairy lights that he bought a shit ton of. She raised her brows at her phone, wondering why he was so excited about fairy lights.

"Did Naruto mention fairy lights at some point?" Hinata asked. "He's sent me like ten messages about all the fairy lights he's gotten." Sakura couldn't help but laugh.

"He mentioned something about it earlier," Sakura said, shrugging. "He said that we should have a shitton of fairy lights and I guess he found them all," she laughed. Hinata just shook her head.

"He gets excited about the weirdest things," she laughed. She wasn't new to Naruto's easily excitable nature. He could get excited over a stick if he really wanted to.

"He gets the most excited about you," Sakura said nonchalantly as she turned to get a large plate for the vegetables. She made two platters, a tin of hummus in the center of each. "He seemed a little sad all the time before you came along."

"He's always been excited to see me, though," Hinata said softly. She wasn't the fondest of attention being drawn to her, but Sakura never seemed to care. It was made worse by Itachi sitting quietly next to her, but he didn't seem to care much either. He hadn't even looked at her since she'd offered him some of the snack.

"That's because he's always liked you," Sakura laughed. "Naruto's been beating himself up about a lot of things these past few years. He was upset about my mental health problems and I'm certain he still blames himself for my accident," she said softly, shrugging. "You're good for him. You distract him from feeling so bad about those things."

"He still feels bad about it, though," Hinata said softly. "I don't think he'll ever get over it."

"Well," Sakura raised her glass of juice, "Here's to hoping he'll let it go eventually," she smiled thinly and downed her juice.

It wasn't long before the others finally got back and Hinata was slightly glad. The attention Sakura had brought to her made her feel a little uncomfortable. It was impossible to feel awkward with Naruto around, though. He jumped from topic to topic, not leaving attention on a specific person for too long. It was a nice quality to have in a boyfriend.

Hinata trailed after Naruto to empty his bags and help him set up. Sakura was still cutting things up in the kitchen, though she had emptied some of the chip bags into rather large bowls. Itachi was still sitting with her, so there wasn't a chance of her getting lonely.

"How was shopping?" Tenten asked her when she came in with more bags.

"It was fine. I didn't think Sakura would need so much food and drinks," Hinata said, shaking her head. "Will they all be gone by the end of the night?"

"Definitely," Tenten laughed. "I was here last year and there wasn't anything left by the end of the night. A lot of the kids in school look forwards to their Halloween party every year." Hinata nodded. She had been invited a couple times, but didn't go. She wasn't one for parties, but Naruto had asked her to come this year. His eyes had been so excited and wide and she couldn't bear to say no to him. There were some times where she just couldn't say no to him.

"Hinata! You should help me put up all these lights!" Naruto said, holding some painter's tape up and gesturing to at least twenty boxes of orange and purple lights.

"Remember to put the baby gate up with a sign, Naruto!" Sakura yelled from the kitchen. "We don't want anyone going upstairs and we don't want anyone in the study!"

"As you command, Captain!" he yelled back. Though she didn't remember, they had decided long ago to put up a baby gate on the stairs and signs to keep anyone out from places they didn't want them. Then, one of them would be upstairs and the other would be downstairs in the basement, watching their party-goers. They didn't want any shenanigans going down. With more of their close friends with them, Sakura could have one of them check the upstairs bedroom and the study periodically to make sure no one was in the bedrooms. They didn't want any hanky panky going on.

"We'll have movies up here and music and dancing in the basement," Naruto informed Hinata as they started putting up the lights. He was planning to have half the lights up here and half the lights in the basement. Sasuke had some cobwebs that he was hanging up in several corners. Tenten and Nehi were putting up purple, orange, and black streamers over the doorways. They weren't aiming for scary, not in the least, just some general ambiance.

"Itachi, there's a foldable table in the garage if you could grab that," Sakura said, beginning to stick toothpicks into the various fruit she had and then arranging them on plates. "There's another two in there too. One needs to go in the basement and the last one stays in there in case anyone wants to smoke." Itachi nodded and headed towards the garage, knowing there was a door leading into it from the house.

He came back in a few minutes later, lugging a rather large fold-out table unaided. It didn't weigh as much as he thought it was. He stopped in the kitchen with it, wondering where she wanted it. "It goes in the living room. If there isn't room for it, Naruto will help you," she said. Naruto and Hinata had gotten there with their lights at that point. Itachi nodded and headed that way. Naruto pointed to a spot he'd already cleared right below the windows. Once Itachi had unfolded it, Naruto pointed to the bags.

"There are a couple plastic tablecloths in there if you could put them on the tables," he said. Itachi only nodded again and rooted through the bags. They were quite easy to find and he tossed it on the table. He then went back to the garage and set up the table there, tossing another tablecloth on it before grabbing the last table and bringing it into the house. Neji was there to help him navigate his way into the basement. He didn't know where Naruto wanted this one, but he shoved it up against a wall and tossed the last tablecloth over it.

He returned to the kitchen and Sakura handed him a few bowls, a few in her hands as well. They set up the tables, the drinks underneath. They finished before the others did and Sakura collapsed into a sofa, smiling when Itachi joined her. Her feet hurt just a bit and she was feeling a little tired. Itachi wrapped an arm around her shoulder and had her lean against his side. She smiled as she did. He was quite comfortable to lean against.

"When will people be arriving?" Itachi asked.

"In about two hours. I still have to go upstairs and get changed and shit," she said, stretching her arms over her head. "I don't know if Naruto's gotten the signs up or the baby gate set up, so I'll probably do that before I go upstairs." Itachi nodded. He was sure she would tug him along after her. "Naruto!" Sakura called. "Did you get the baby gate and the signs set up?"

"Not yet!"

"I'll do it!" she called back. She hopped up off the couch and went to the closet near the front door. She pulled the old baby gate out and set it up in front of the stairs. She went to the study next and grabbed a few pieces of paper and a giant sharpie. She wrote a couple signs and stuck them up where she needed them to be. She sat next to Itachi when she was done and he wrapped his arm around her again. She leaned her head against his shoulder and shut her eyes tiredly.

"That's a lot of setting up you had to do. How did you manage it when it was just you and Naruto?" Itachi asked quietly. They were pretty alone in this room, as the rest of their friends had gone downstairs, but he still didn't want anyone to overhear.

"We would start the night before," Sakura shrugged. "We didn't think we needed to this year beause we had so many of our friends with us." Itachi nodded. He thought it was quite smart and he was happy he'd been around to help. It seemed to be a lot of work and he had no clue how they managed to get it all done in time before. Sakura just shrugged for the most part. "Do you want to come upstairs with me while I get ready?" she asked, already almost halfway off the couch. He acquiesced and followed her up the stairs, finding it easier to get over the baby gate than she did. He made a mental note to get over it first and help her when they came back down. He followed her to her room and sat on her bed. "Did you bring a costume?"

"I am not one for costumes. If anyone asks, tell them that I am a shadow," he said with a small, wry smile. He was dressed in all black and, by her answering giggle, she understood the joke. She rolled her eyes at him.

"As long as you don't have an issue with me wearing a costume, then I guess I don't really care," she said with another giggle. She grabbed something from her closet and left the room for the bathroom, a little shy of changing in front of him. He didn't care. She came back in a few minutes later wearing a fairy costume, complete with wings. Though he wasn't too impressed with it, it certainly showed off some of her best features and he couldn't help but stare at her for a few minutes.

"What?" she asked, a blush on her face.

"I am just thinking how I would like to get that off of you," he said quietly. She flushed a darker red and turned away quickly, going to her dresser. She grabbed her makeup bag and walked back towards the door. She gestured towards the hallway.

"Come on, lover boy, you can watch me do my makeup," she said. He gave her a smirk and followed her to the bathroom. He sat on the toilet while she opened up her makeup bag, arranging things on the sink. He was silent as she did her makeup, not wanting to distract her. It took her quite a while to do everything, and when she turned to him with a smile, he found out why. There were many bright colors integrated in her eyeshadow and a lot of glitter and small rhinestones around her eyes. He thought it was quite pretty. "What do you think?" she asked, checking herself in the mirror again.

"I think you did a very good job," he said from his seat. She smiled at him in the mirror. She pulled away from the mirror and searched through her bag for a moment before pulling out some pink lipstick and putting it on. It didn't do much, not really, but he liked the way it looked on her nonetheless.

"Alright, time to go back downstairs," she said, packing everything back up into her makeup bag and going back to her room to put it away. Itachi followed her back down the stairs and into the living room again. Naruto, Hinata, and Tenten were missing. Neji and Sasuke were the only ones down here, in armchairs, sipping from glasses of water.

"They went to change," Sasuke explained quietly. Sakura blinked.

"Thanks," she said, sitting in her usual couch and smiling when Itachi joined her again.

"How much more time?" he asked, wondering when people were going to arrive. He wasn't much for parties and wasn't really looking forwards to a lot people being here. He didn't care, though. He would have Sakura next to him for most, if not all of the night. It would be much more easily dealt with when she was near.

"Any minute now," she said.

She was right. People began arriving, slowly at first, but then in groups. It wasn't long before the house was full. Itachi was glad he was with Sakura on the first floor, where there was just a movie marathon going on. Downstairs there was loud music and a lot of people dancing with each other. Sakura didn't seem too interested in that sort of thing. They were sitting next to each other, his hand in hers as they were watching scary movies with the huge group that was up here. Every now and then, she would get up and check the upstairs, then she would come back and sit beside him. When the doorbell rang, they would go to the door together and greet whoever was there. He was doing well as a bouncer. If there were college kids with alcohol, he did a great job at intimidating them and making them leave or put their alcohol back in their cars before allowing entrance.

Something happened around midnight that he wasn't expecting. He didn't think his brother expected it either. There weren't many people left. Most had gone home or were in the process of leaving and were all thanking Sakura for the great party again this year. She just smiled and sent them on their way. She would give a carton of soda or a bag of chips to some people. She had a little bit of food left over and she would give most of it to her guests while they left.

Most were gone after a while, but Itachi was surprised to see a car pull into the drive. It was driving erratically and whoever was driving stomped on the breaks. Sasuke came to the door to, having heard the tired screech. He was curious and didn't really know what was happening. He was even more confused when the person got out of the car.

"Sasuke Uchiha!" his father was out of the car and stomping angrily towards the door. "Where have you been? Your mother and I have been worried sick about you!" the man wasn't really yelling, but he was demanding everyone's attention. Itachi narrowed his eyes and pushed Sakura back into the house.

"Stay here, we'll handle this," he said quietly, quickly. He didn't want Sakura in the way of his father's drunken wrath. He was about to step between him and Sasuke so he didn't get any of his wrath either. He'd been doing this for years and he didn't even stop to think about it. He didn't have to. He was going to protect his little brother from his father's wrath, no matter what.

"You said you were going to be home an hour and a half ago, boy," he said angrily. Sasuke was getting angry at this point. They would never treat Itachi this way. His father hadn't even come here for Itachi, only him. It angered him, quite a lot. Why didn't his parents care about Itachi in the least? He didn't understand.

"It's my fault," Itachi spoke up. Sasuke turned to him, surprised. It was in no way Itachi's fault that he had lost track of time and forgot that he should have called his mother and let her know. Here he was, though, taking the fall. He stood toe to toe with his father, his calm obsidian eyes watching the older man. "I should have reminded Sasuke that it was getting late and that we must be getting home."

"I don't believe I said you could speak, boy," his father spat venomously at him. Sasuke was surprised at his father's reaction to Itachi taking the fall, but Itachi wasn't fazed in the slightest. "I should have known it was you that caused this. Why are you trying to make your brother into a worthless piece of shit, just like you?" Sasuke was about to interject, say something to defend his brother, but Itachi grabbed his wrist, clenching tightly. It was a soundless warning. Don't say anything. Itachi would talk to him later and explain everything if he just didn't say anything right now. It would only perpetuate their father's anger and Itachi wasn't so sure he could keep his father's rage from Sasuke if his brother were to say something in support of him.

"I apologize, father," Itachi said calmly.

"Why are you even here, boy?" his father asked, his harsh, dark eyes watching him with little care. "Don't you have something to brood over? I didn't think you even had friends, you're so worthless." Sasuke was getting angrier and angrier from every word that was coming out of his father's house. "Your mother and I didn't even think you came home at night anymore. We were glad, thinking that you ran away."

"How could you say that, father?!" Sasuke yelled, surprising both Itachi and his father. "You're our father! How could you say that you're happy you thought he ran away?!" His father looked from Sasuke to Itachi, the rage in his eyes growing.

Sakura was watching the entire exchange from the doorway, becoming increasingly worried. She couldn't hear the exact words, but their father seemed to be berating Itachi. Suddenly, Sasuke yelled something. There was a moment of stunned silence between the three.

Then, there was a loud, resounding crack and Itachi crumpled to the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

**Listen, I know there are discrepancies. I am an overworked fast food worker that writes in her free time. I don't have time to read this shit through and make sure it all makes sense. With my sleep deprived mind it all makes sense to me.**

 **Itachi is eighteen. Fifteen when he attempted to do the suicide.**

 **Everyone else is mostly two years younger than him. Kay? Kay.**

 **Sorry about the confusion friends.**

* * *

She was about to call out to him and run to him, but Naruto grabbed her around her waist and slapped his hand over her mouth. "Don't. You'll just make it worse," he whispered in her ear, trying to calm her down. Sakura turned to him, tears in her eyes. She seemed about to say something, but instead she shoved past him and ran up the stairs.

"How dare you turn him against me?" Sasuke watched his father as he began kicking his older brother. He was quite speechless and motionless. He hadn't thought his father would punch Itachi squarely in the face. He didn't think his father would begin kicking the boy now that he was down, yelling obscenities and repeating that he had turned Sasuke against him.

"Stop!" he rushed forwards and knocked his father away from Itachi, sparing him from any more physical abuse. "Why are you hitting him?"

His father didn't answer. He just glared. "Come, Sasuke. We're going home," he finally said. He glared at the boy on the ground. He didn't want anything to do with him. Sasuke recoiled at the mention of going home with his father. He was definitely way too drunk to drive home and he wasn't about to get in the car with him. "Sasuke," his father barked his hand on the driver's door. Sasuke looked down at Itachi. He wasn't looking at him, his eyes closed tightly and curled into a tight ball.

"You're drunk, father," he said. "I am not going home with you. I'll be home soon." His voice was calm, completely different from the tumult he felt on the inside. He didn't like seeing Itachi like this and it bothered him to no end. He wanted to help him and if he went home with his father, he wouldn't have the chance to do so.

"You better be home within the next two hours, boy," his father said, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Yes, father." Sasuke watched his father leave, the car swaying dangerously between the two lanes. He shook his head, telling himself that he shouldn't go after. He would see him at home, where he would undoubtedly wait up for him. Either that or he would fall asleep before Sasuke even managed to get home.

He sighed and stooped, pulling Itachi's arm over his shoulder and lifting him to help him towards the house. Naruto was waiting just inside the doorway, Hinata beside him. Neji and Tenten were nowhere to be found. Perhaps they were cleaning up, Sasuke didn't really care. He just cared that Itachi was hurt and needed some first aid.

"Here," Naruto said as he walked up to him. He took Itachi's other arm and slung it around his shoulders, helping Sasuke carry him into the house. They took him to the downstairs bathroom and finally let him down onto the toilet. Itachi didn't react as Sasuke pulled his shirt off of him. Sasuke was surprised and rather disgusted by what he found. There were multicolored bruises all over his chest and his stomach. There were slashes lacing across his forearms, most healed, but a few were still red and angry.

"Is this all from our father?" he asked, glued to his spot. Naruto didn't seem to notice. He seemed used to this. He attended to Itachi with expertise of someone that had done this for years.

"No. Some of it is from myself," Itachi answered after a long five minutes. He indicated his arms. Sasuke understood that he had done that himself, but the bruising was all from their father. Naruto finished patching him up and patted his shoulder, pulling his shirt back over his head. Itachi nodded in thanks, but he didn't say a word. He pulled himself up from the toilet and staggered through the house, disappearing through the door to the garage.

"Where's he going?" Naruto asked, tilting his head.

"For a cigarette. Maybe some weed," Sasuke answered, shrugging. "Where are Neji and Tenten?"

"They and Hinata are cleaning up for us. They figured they'd do something while all that went down," Naruto said. He sighed. "Sakura's upstairs. She was trying to call out to Itachi and was about to run out to him, but I stopped her. I don't think Itachi would ever forgive himself if Sakura was hurt by your dad." Sasuke only nodded. He didn't know what to say, not really. The entire ordeal was extremely disturbing to him and he couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

"I need to go home. I'll check on Itachi right now if you'll drive me home after," Sasuke said. He knew better than to ignore his father's words. If he wasn't home, the man would either pass out or come back here looking for him. No matter what he thought of his father, he wouldn't forgive himself if the man killed himself while driving drunk.

"Sure, let me go check on Sakura," Naruto said. He was worried about her. There was no knowing what she was doing with herself after she witnessed that whole scene. He was afraid she was hurting herself up there and he knew better than to leave her alone. Sasuke only nodded and went off towards the garage.

He didn't completely enter the garage. He saw too much from the doorway. Itachi held a cigarette between his lips and a razor in his hands. He was cutting into his arm, blood running down his arm and dripping onto the floor from his fingertips. Sasuke was frozen in the doorway and didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to help him. He had never cut himself and had never needed to speak to someone that was going through such things.

He had to get Naruto. He went up the stairs and to Sakura's room. He stood in the doorway and couldn't say anything then either. Sakura had been doing something as well, but he wasn't sure what. IT was odd. Blood was slowly dripping down the side of her face and she was staring blankly at the floor while Naruto was sitting beside her. He was holding her head against his shoulder.

He saw Sasuke and pulled himself carefully away from Sakura. "What was she doing?" Sasuke asked when he was outside the door.

"Hitting her head on the wall, probably since she got up here," Naruto answered, shoving his hand into his hair. "Weren't you going to talk to your brother?" he asked, wondering why Sasuke was up here. Sasuke shook his head and looked to the wall, his anger coming out.

"He's cutting himself. I don't know what to say." He hated how helpless he sounded. He hated that he didn't have the words to say or the actions to use like Naruto did. Naruto had been dealing with Sakura's mental health issues for a while and that was why he was so good at patching Itachi up. That's why he managed to get Sakura to stop her self destructive behavior so easily. He was jealous of his best friend because he knew what to do in this situation when he did not.

"We should just bring them to each other," Naruto said, shaking his head. "I think Sakura will snap out of it if we tell her Itachi needs her." Sasuke didn't know if that would work, but it was worth a try. He nodded to Naruto and the blond walked back into Sakura's room.

"Sak," Naruto said softly when he sat beside her, pulling her head back to his shoulder. He was happy that she hadn't continued hitting her head on the wall when he'd left. "Itachi's hurting really bad right now, Sak. Think you could talk to him?" Something sparked in Sakura's eyes and she nodded, grabbing Naruto's hand. "Alright, let's go to him then." He didn't think Itachi would come up here. He didn't know how the older boy was feeling.

Sakura pulled herself up slowly and wrapped her hand in Naruto's, allowing him to lead her down the stairs. He stopped at the door of the garage, not wanting to look inside. He knew the scene was probably pretty bad. He didn't know how deep or how many times Itachi would cut himself and he didn't know if there was blood everywhere. Sakura took a moment to look around the corner and sighed. She didn't say anything as she let go of Naruto's hand and entered the garage.

"Weasel?" she asked softly, her voice on the verge of tears. He had been cutting himself. He was almost too interested in the blood trailing down his arm. "Itachi," her voice was still so weak and still so soft. She had begun crying at this point and couldn't keep it in. She pushed herself into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his face down to rest on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Itachi."

He stared at her chest, his mind reeling. Why was she crying? Why was she sorry? He had ruined the night for everyone. The secret he'd been trying to keep from Sasuke had come to light at long last. He felt like a failure. He felt like he'd done a shit job at protecting his brother. He hated himself. Why couldn't he protect his little brother more? He could deal with the physical and verbal abuse. He wasn't so sure Sasuke could.

These thoughts swirled around his mind and he finally dropped the razor. He began crying himself as his arms moved to crush her against him. Sakura held him tightly as well as they cried together. He still didn't know why she was crying, but he didn't care. It was an odd moment and he couldn't say he hated it. Having someone to be with like this meant more to him than anything else in the world.

She didn't seem to care that he was smearing blood down her back and effectively ruining her costume. She didn't seem to care that he was holding her so tightly that it was hard to breathe. They held each other in their mutual pain and his mind was at ease. Hers wasn't so much, but having him in her arms brought her a sense of safety.

"Are you alright?" she asked after a few minutes, pulling back to look at him. He didn't answer. He watched his hand as he drew it through her hair. He pulled away when he found dampness, the reason for the dried trail of blood on her face.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I had a love affair with the wall," she whispered, looking away from him. "I tried to go to you and Naruto stopped me. I was so scared and it hurt so much. I didn't have access to a razor." Sakura had often gone to great lengths to hurt herself if she felt like it. When she didn't have a razor, she'd use a knife. If there was no easy way to get a knife, she'd use a needle. If she didn't have access to any of that, she would hit her head on the wall until she only listened to the rhythm and hardly ever realized if she started bleeding from where she did hit it.

"Don't hurt yourself over me," he said softly, burying his head in her neck as he pulled her closer. "I am not worth such a thing."

"What are you worth, then?" she asked, her voice wavering on the edge of tears again. Was he not worth her pain? She didn't understand.

"I would like to be worth your love instead of pain you inflict on yourself," he said softly. "I do not wish to be the cause of your self harming, just as I am sure you do not want to be the cause of mine. I know the dark thoughts are overwhelming sometimes, but I do not want my own issues to swallow you whole."

"It was my own dark thoughts. You were getting hurt and I couldn't do anything about it. I felt so helpless," Sakura said, her voice thick with more tears. A few slipped past her eyelids and he was quick to wipe them away. He decided, then, that he was going to tell her. He knew that she didn't remember. He knew that it might hurt her more than help her, but he didn't care. She had to know. He had to tell her.

"You have been saving me far longer than you can remember," he said softly. Her breath caught, but he didn't give her a chance to ask what he was talking about. "You were the one that saved me from my own suicide attempt. You were a thirteen year old girl and you pulled me out of the lake. You ripped off your clothes and mine and held me close to warm me up. I do not deserve your tears and I do not deserve your pain or your love. I am selfish, but I do not care. I want to keep you safe because you did the same for me three years ago."

"What?" his words didn't quite make sense to her. "I'm the one that saved you?" he didn't answer. He let her think it through it. She pulled him closer and hugged him so tightly he was sure he was supposed to die from oxygen deprivation.

"You are far stronger than I can tell you," he said quietly. "Though you deal with your own issues, you are still here to help me. It is more than I can ask for. It is selfish of me to keep taking while I give you nothing in return." She had come to him. She had climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around him. She had gotten him to drop the razor. She was stronger and he borrowed her strength and her courage when she offered it.

"Itachi, no," she said suddenly. "Don't tell me that you're going to push me away. We do so much better when we're together. The dark thoughts aren't around when you're near and I know that I stop you from cutting yourself so often. Don't tell me that you're going to hurt me." Itachi was quiet through her words and hushed her, rubbing her back soothingly.

"I never said such things," he said quietly, pushing her face to his chest. "I wish to continue being selfish. I wish to continue kissing you and holding you. I do not wish to let you go." Sakura blinked and more tears began falling. He was astounded. Was she okay? He didn't know. He didn't know why she was crying. "Are you alright?" he asked, trying to make sure she was okay, brushing his fingertips over her face and trying to brush away all her tears.

"I was just scared you were going to go away," she said softy. "I don't want you to go away and I guess I'm selfish that way. I like having you around and the way you've opened up so much in the past couple months." She hiccupped and sniffled, wiping her eyes on his shoulder. He couldn't help the smile on his face. "So, what are you going to do?" she asked. She wanted to know if he was going to run away or if he had another plan in place. "Are you going to get out of that house? Are you going to go away to college?" she didn't like thinking that he wouldn't be so close to her, but she knew he had to do what he needed.

"I cannot leave that house," he said, his voice filled with venom. "Sasuke still has years before he is an adult, and I cannot leave him there alone. I have been dealing with our father's anger for years now. I do not think Sasuke is strong enough to deal with it himself." Sakura was surprised that Itachi wanted to protect his brother so much. She would have thought it astounding had it been a couple months ago when Sasuke rarely talked to Itachi, but it was less surprising now that she had seen them grow a little closer.

"I know you don't think you're strong, but you are," she said softly. Itachi hugged her again. He didn't know what caused her to say those words, but they were the only words he needed to hear. He hadn't thought he was strong. He hadn't thought he was brave, but here was the bravest girl he knew, telling him that he was. He craved her gentleness and soft words. He loved her smiling face and the way she could calm him, no matter what.

"I'll have to talk with Sasuke about this eventually," Itachi said with a deep sigh. Sakura only nodded.

"You can do that tomorrow. For now, why don't we get cleaned up and get to sleep?" she asked, brushing her fingers soothingly through his hair. He nodded numbly and she carefully crawled out of his lap, holding her hand out to him. He let her pull him up and lead him into the house. Naruto was the only one left and he offered the two of them a halfhearted smile.

"Hinata, Neji, and Tenten had to get home. I took Sasuke home a while ago. There's nothing to clean up." Hinata, Neji, and Tenten had taken care of it before they left, knowing something was going on in the garage. They hadn't tried to peek or anything, so Sakura and Itachi were safe. "I'm going to go to bed, though."

"We're going to take a shower and get to bed, too," Sakura said, looking up at Itachi. She didn't think he would let her get very far from him at this point and she didn't know which one of them would take a shower first, but they would figure it out. Naruto nodded, starting to go to his bedroom, but he stopped.

"Come with me for a second," he said, gesturing towards his room. Sakura and Itachi followed him and he didn't take long to throw a long sleeved shirt and some pajama pants at Itachi. "I know you what you were doing, so use these instead of your dirty clothes," was all Naruto said. Itachi nodded gratitude in his eyes. Sakura gave him a half-smile and pulled Itachi back to the stairs.

"So do you want to take a shower first or should I?" she asked as they got into her room. She went straight to her dresser and began pulling out her own pajamas.

"I would rather just take it with you," he said quietly, creeping up behind her to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her back to his chest, hugging her tightly. He didn't want to be too far away from her. She was his source of comfort and he didn't want to be away from her for even ten minutes. Sakura flushed a dark red. She was quiet as she nodded. He wasn't going to try anything, not if she didn't instigate first. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

She pulled him towards the bathroom and turned the shower on; trying to make sure it wasn't too hot. It would aggravate both their wounds if it was. Itachi pulled his shirt over his head and was about to pull his pants down when he felt Sakura's small, cold hands on his back. He froze and straightened, letting her draw her fingertips over her back. She moved to his front and traced his chest, her eyes locked on the many scars and bruises.

"Don't cry," was all he said. He knew it was ugly. He was rather unconfident in his looks, especially when he wasn't wearing clothes. He had so many scars and there were always bruises, some half healed and some not. It didn't make for a pretty picture.

"I wasn't going to," she said softly, finally pulling away from him. She turned her back to him and began pulling her costume off. She tossed it into the garbage, knowing it couldn't be salvaged. She didn't spare a look at him as she got into the shower. She was a little embarrassed. She hadn't allowed anyone else to see her naked, baths when she was four with Naruto notwithstanding.

Itachi got into the shower behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against her chest. She closed her eyes, basking in the almost overwhelming warmth he gave off. She let him hold her for a few minutes before pulling away. She realized she'd have to turn to him to grab the soap and so took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before she turned around. Itachi was staring at her, but kept his eyes carefully trained on her face. She was glad for this, what with feeling so self conscious.

"Here," he pulled her body wash from behind her and placed it in her hands. She smiled, her nervousness bleeding into it. She handed him her shampoo, knowing she should give him something to do or he would watch her body. She turned around again before washing her body. She was surprised when she felt his hands in her hair, working the shampoo into it. He was slow and careful, not wanting to get too much into her wound. She had stopped in her surprise and he nudged her gently to get her moving again.

While she rinsed everything out, he washed his own hair and she found it was going to be slightly awkward to let him under the spray of the water. He disregarded her as she attempted to move to the right to let him pass. He pulled her to his chest, bringing them both under the water. She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. She leaned her chin on his chest, not feeling so self conscious anymore. All too soon, though, he was pulling back, tugging the conditioner from its place. He did his hair first before handing it to her and going to wash his body. She watched as he carefully washed his wrists, the blood raining down on the shower floor.

She was feeling a little calmer as they dried off and pulled on their clean clothes. She took his towel and tossed it into the hamper before gesturing towards the door. He followed her back to her room, where she crawled into bed and stared at him. He gave her a small smile before joining her. He laid on his back and pulled her on top of his chest, enjoying the feel of her weight on his chest. She smiled and dropped her head on his shoulder. She was so tired after everything. It was now two in the morning and she had stayed up far longer than she thought she would. Itachi brushed his fingers soothingly down her back, putting her to sleep quickly; he was quick to follow.

* * *

To his surprise, she was the one that woke him.

"Shit." She jumped off of his chest and went to the door, peering out into the hallway before breathing a sigh of relief. "We overslept. My parents are home they're totally going to kill me if they see you in bed with me." Itachi nodded.

"My car is still in the drive, Sakura, how do you explain that?"

"I didn't say they'd be mad that you had spent the night, Itachi," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "They're going to be pissed if they find you in my bed. Come on, quick," she said gesturing towards the door. He wasted no time in getting out of the bed. She walked quickly and quietly and opened a door a few feet from her own. "This is the guest room," she said softly, letting him enter. "Just go back to sleep, okay?"

"Alright," he nodded. She closed the door as gently as she could so it didn't make a sound and then she walked down the stairs. Her mother was in the kitchen, checking the cupboards. She always did this after Naruto and Sakura were allowed to have a party. She wanted to make sure nothing was missing and nothing was broken. She seemed to be pretty satisfied after five minutes of doing this and set to work making some breakfast. It was eight in the morning when they'd gotten home and she wasn't expecting her children to be up. Therefore, she could make them some breakfast.

"Hey, mom," Sakura said as she leaned against the counter. Her mother smiled brightly and handed her a banana.

"How was the party, Sakura?" she asked as she bustled around the kitchen. "I saw Itachi's car outside, did he spend the night?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, shrugging. "We found him asleep on a couch and thought it was better to just let him sleep in the guest room," she lied easily. She wasn't about to let her mother know that Itachi also hurt himself and of the issues that had happened at midnight. She didn't want to give her mother a heart attack. "The party was good, though. Everyone had fun."

"That's good. Itachi's a nice boy. I think he's nice to have around," her mother commented. She seemed to be making scrambled eggs and toast, one of the few things she could make that didn't come out tasting terrible. "Why don't you wake Naruto and him up?" she asked. "Your father's gone to watch the game at a bar." She wasn't about to let him watch the game with his friends here. They were far too loud and she was cleaning up beer cans for days after they left. It had only been a few times before she had put a stop to it.

"Okay," Sakura said, hopping off towards Naruto's room first. She hoped she would have time later to take a nap with Itachi, though she didn't know when she'd get a chance. When his father went out to watch the game, he wasn't back until six or seven at night. That meant she would just have to see if her mother had anything at the gym she had to take care of today. She really hoped she did. "Hey, Naruto, mom's making breakfast," Sakura said after she knocked twice.

"What? Okay," Naruto sat straight up. He was still half asleep and it made Sakura laugh. She moved into his room and took his arm, hoisting him up. She pulled him into the kitchen, where her mother pushed a glass of orange juice into Naruto's hands. Naruto smiled sleepily and began talking with his mother as Sakura went upstairs to get Itachi. She didn't bother knocking and just walked in. Itachi was lying on top of the covers, reading something on his phone. She jumped into the bed next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"What are you reading?" she asked, though didn't try to look at the phone. She didn't want to read anything he didn't want her to. He did the same for her.

"Just some articles. Is there something you needed?" he asked.

"My mom's just making breakfast and she told me to wake you up," she giggled. Itachi only nodded and locked his phone before attempting to get up. She grabbed his wrist and brought him back down. She pulled him on top of her and kissed him, her arms tight around his neck. He couldn't help the smile that took him over and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly to his chest. The kiss was over too soon and she was squirming out from under him.

"What was that for?" he asked, getting up as well.

"I just wanted to kiss you. Is that an issue?" Sakura asked, a mischievous look in her eyes. Itachi just smiled at her and grabbed her before she could open the door. He pulled her against his chest and kissed her again, holding her there for a few moments longer than she had held him. She gave him a glorious smile when he pulled away and gestured towards the door. She smiled again and led him down the stairs.

"Sorry, mom, it was pretty hard to wake him up," Sakura said with a soft giggle. Her mother didn't seem to care much, just like she thought she wouldn't. She accepted the glasses of orange juice when her mother held them out and she gave one to Itachi. He sipped it quietly. He had still said few words to her parents, but when he did he was quite polite and her parents thought highly of him for that.

"Well, you got him up just in time. Breakfast is ready," her mother said with a smile. She doled out the eggs and toast, giving them each a plate before following them to the dining table. There wasn't much talk as they ate, but no one really minded it. It was usually quiet around the dining table.

"Do you have to go to the gym today?" Sakura asked after a few minutes. She was almost done, and wanted to ask before she got up to wash her and Itachi's plate. Itachi was a quick eater and had already finished.

"Yeah, I have to go over some files with the director," her mother said. "We have to make sure everyone's paid for this month." She and the director did this at the first of every month. If they didn't, the clients would try and get away with not paying for a month. She had figured this out about a year ago and didn't like it. "Are you three going to do anything?"

"We're pretty tired after last night," Naruto said with a laugh. "I think we were just going to watch some movies and be potatoes today."

"Well, you did a good job with the cleaning, so you're more than allowed to," she said. Usually, she wouldn't approve of such behavior, but they had put together an entire party and then cleaned up after themselves, so she figured it wasn't bad. She would want to sit on a couch all day if she'd accomplished that, too.

Sakura got up and collected the plates to wash them, Itachi trailing after her. He dried them for her after she washed them and followed her back through the house to the living room, where Naruto was already sitting in an armchair.

"Have you gotten a text from Sasuke yet, Itachi?" Naruto asked. "He's texted me and wants to know if you're okay and if you're ready to talk."

"I'll call him," Itachi said quickly, leaving the room to do so.

"Is he doing better, Sak?" Naruto asked. "Are you doing better?" Sakura had had a slight mental breakdown too, he had to remind himself. Sakura was easy to tell when she was doing better though. He didn't know Itachi well enough to judge it yet.

"He was doing better last night," Sakura said, watching Itachi in the hallway. He was talking quietly into the phone. "He's really protective of Sasuke so when he witnessed his father doing that, he couldn't really forgive himself. I got him to stop beating himself up, though." She didn't want to tell Naruto everything, for a lot of it had been extremely personal.

"Sasuke wants to come here and talk," Itachi said as he came back to the living room. "I am not sure I can." He wasn't sure he could make the words come forth and tell his little brother what was really going on. He wasn't sure he could tell his brother everything that their father had really done to him and everything he had been sparing him. He didn't know how to talk to him about it. It was easy talking about his experiences and why he did things, but he didn't know how to go about this.

"Well, we'll be here for you," Sakura said with a smile. "Naruto's really good at dealing with Sasuke and he'll calm him down if anything goes too far," she shrugged. "Naruto's really good with a lot of people. I've been telling him forever that he should be a counselor." Naruto just shook his head and grinned.

"Nope. One day I'll be a vet." He liked animals way too much and had always been interested in the medical field. He just didn't think he could deal with humans like that day to day. Sakura just laughed and Itachi watched the exchange curiously. They really did seem like siblings, though Naruto had only come here when he was four. It was a nice fit at least and he bet their parents were glad Sakura didn't grow up alone. She would probably have more issues with her mental health if she had.

"I thank you for your support and your being there," Itachi said. "I would suggest that we meet with him elsewhere, however. I do not wish for your mother to overhear." He was being quieter than usual just because he didn't want their mother to hear. He was certain it would only make things worse and he wasn't in the mood for it. Sakura only nodded and Naruto was enthusiastic in his grin. He was glad that Sasuke wouldn't be kept in the dark anymore. He didn't want him kept in the dark. It had finally come to the point where Sasuke wasn't being sheltered anymore and it was a pleasant moment.

"What about the coffee shop we go to before school?" Sakura asked. She could do with a cup of coffee. Itachi seemed to think for a moment and then just shrugged. He couldn't be upset with that. No one would bother them there, especially if they sat in the corner booth at the back of the shop. Itachi pulled out his phone and let Sasuke know that Naruto would be picking him up soon.

"I cannot show my face when my father is home," Itachi said quietly, "If you could pick him up, Naruto." Naruto blinked and nodded. He hadn't thought it was that bad, but he wasn't really surprised. He didn't know too much of what Itachi went through, but he was quite certain he would find out today along with his best friend and Sakura.

"So, when should we leave?" Sakura asked, leaning into Itachi's shoulder. She was trying to be ridiculously optimistic to keep Itachi's spirits high. It seemed to be working. He wrapped his arm around her waist and offered her a small, gentle smile. She was a bright ray of sunlight and it brought warmth to his chest whenever she smiled at him.

"I told him that Naruto would be there to pick him up soon. We may go now if you wish," he said. He was still wearing pajamas, but the guys at the coffee shop didn't give a shit. It was still early, too. He felt they could get away with it. He just didn't care at this point. He was too tired and worn out to care. Sakura didn't seem to care either, though.

"Alright," Naruto got out of his chair. "I'll be off to get Sasuke and I'll meet you at the coffee shop." They followed him to the door after sounding their agreement and he grabbed the keys. Sakura knew he would drive carefully at least. Naruto wasn't really that bad of a driver when it came down to it, she was certain he was only careful because their father would kill him if he were to get in an accident.

Sakura and Itachi set off towards the coffee shop as Naruto went the other way. They made it there within five minutes. Sakura ordered Itachi a coffee and herself a hot chocolate. They were sitting in the back corner, sipping their drinks. Itachi had his hand tight around her waist and she was leaning into his shoulder and they didn't move when the other two joined him. She knew her touch gave him comfort and didn't want to move away from him. He seemed grateful, for his hold grew just a little tighter.

Sasuke and Naruto got their own drinks before sitting on the other side of them. Itachi merely waited for Sasuke to talk. He didn't know how to start or where to start and he would rather just answer any and all of his questions. It was silent for a few long minutes. Sakura and Naruto were just staring at the table, Itachi out the window, and Sasuke's gaze was caught, unwavering, on his brother's face.

"How long, Itachi?" he asked suddenly.

"Ten years."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was protecting you." Itachi was still staring out the window, unwilling to meet his brother's eyes. From his tone, he felt as though he had betrayed him. He didn't like the fact that he felt that way. He had been protecting him and keeping him out of harm's way. He hadn't betrayed him in the least.

"I don't need protection."

Itachi's eyes snapped to Sasuke's. The movement was so quick that Sakura was quite surprised. She covered his hand with hers, hoping he wasn't upset. She didn't think she could deal with another scene like the night before. He was silent in his thoughts and didn't quite know how to answer him. Sakura didn't know how to help him. She knew he didn't know what to say and didn't know how to communicate for him.

"You don't have anything to say?" Sasuke asked, his dark eyes watching those that mirrored them. Itachi watched him, a calm look in his eyes. It annoyed him. How could his brother be so calm when he was sitting there, trying to ask him about the abuse he'd endured at the hands of his father? He didn't understand.

"I don't know what to say, Sasuke." Hell, his voice was calm too. He was too goddamn calm for this. Sasuke wanted him to flip out. He wanted him to tell all and be a blubbering mess, or whatever Itachi's form of that was. Itachi wasn't one to blubber, but he could be more forthcoming than 'I don't know what to say.'

"Tell me why you never told me," Sasuke reminded himself to keep quiet so the workers wouldn't look their way. "Tell me why that, instead of letting me know and letting me help you, you pushed me away and made me think you were a worthless piece of shit for years." Itachi was surprised. He hadn't thought his brother had felt that way.

"It was my burden to bear. Father does not see ou the way he sees me. You are safe from his wrath and I would rather keep it that way. I have endured his violence and his insults for years. I did not want you to have to face it as well. I attempted to commit suicide and ended up in a hellish institute for a year. I did not want the same to happen to you."

"So you thought it was better to let me hate you and think you were a terrible person?" Sasuke asked, venom in his voice. He didn't like that his brother had suffered in silence. He didn't like that this was still going on all these years later. He wanted to know how his family had managed to keep it hidden. He had known, all too well, that his father had great disdain for his brother, but hadn't known he verbally and physically abused him.

"I let you think what you thought," Itachi said. "I know my personality changed, but I hoped you had attributed it to my becoming a teenager. I did not want to know what you thought of me." Now that he knew his brother had thought so lowly of him for so many years, it hurt him just a bit. The brothers had been pleasant as of late, but it had become the new normal. He didn't like hearing this, but he had heard a lot of things that were difficult to swallow through the years.

"I didn't know what to think, Itachi! All of a sudden, father hated you and complained endlessly of anything you did. I didn't understand why, but I started listening and believing it. Mother said anything against it and so I thought the same. They had never been anything but nice to me and so I really just didn't know," Sasuke sighed, slumping back in his seat. He didn't know what to say at this point. He didn't know how to talk to his brother, had never really learned. All these things that he had repressed and thought through the years had finally begun to come forth and he couldn't stop it. It was just coming out of his mouth rapidly and he couldn't stop it.

"Our mother will never say anything against father," Itachi said quietly, looking away from him again. "She is scared that the anger and rage that is pointed mostly towards me will be pointed towards her if she does so. Our mother is a coward and has never felt anything but fear. She will never be brave. She will never do anything to stop his actions." Itachi's voice was hollow.

"What did she do?" Sasuke asked, watching his brother carefully. He was a very upset man and Sasuke could plainly see it. Sakura was watching him too, her small hands on his chest and bright eyes watching him, making sure he wasn't going to freak out.

"She watched. She would never stop him. That is the way it was. I eventually gave up calling for her," Itachi said. He had begged his mother, upon several occasions, to make his father stop. They never took him to the hospital after his father freaked out and he had had several broken bones. They had never set correctly. His mother had set them and she had no expertise in the area. The breaks were obvious on his body, especially when attention was drawn to them. He had horrid arthritis when it was terribly cold out, mostly in his right leg and left arm, where most of the breaks had occurred. He didn't say any of this, not wanting to overload his brother.

Sasuke was silent. Itachi sighed and realized he should continue on. "Don't hate them, Sasuke. They love you, more so than I. I count you lucky and I will continue to keep his wrath from you," Itachi was trying to reassure him, let it be known that Itachi wasn't about to abandon him. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"Why should that make me feel better? You continue being hurt just so I won't be? What kind of sacrifice is that?"

"One that will keep you sane," Itachi cut across sharply, his eyes hard and narrowed. "I know this is hard for you, Sasuke. I know there are things being revealed to you that you never knew before. However, knowing what these past ten years have done to my mind and my wellbeing, I do not wish it on you like I would not wish it on my worst enemy."

"That isn't for you to decide, Itachi," Sasuke said darkly.

"Sasuke," Naruto cut across sharply. "You have been friends with Sakura and I for years. Don't you remember watching me fall apart at her bedside after her accident? Don't you remember me when she was taken to the hospital because she collapsed at school because she'd been starving herself? Don't you remember how upset I was when she was thrown in the psych ward so many times and started hurting and cutting herself? You didn't know what to do. Sakura was hurting and it was killing me because I didn't know how to fix it. He saved you that pain and he's trying to continue saving it. I know that it hurts that you didn't know anything concrete about it until today, but you have to realize that he thought it was best. He didn't want to put that burden on you and I admire him for it. He thought of you before himself and he committed a selfless sacrifice just so you didn't have to kill yourself over his issues and so you weren't worried about him every moment of the day." Sasuke was silent after Naruto's violent outburst and silent tears were dripping down Sakura's cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," she said softly, her hands dropping to her lap. She kept her gaze on the table. She hadn't known the pain she'd caused her brother and she felt so very terrible about it now, though she couldn't remember a lick of it. It made her even worse that she couldn't remember and couldn't properly apologize for the feelings she'd caused him. She wished that she had been like Itachi and had tried to save him the pain as well.

"Sak, calm down," Naruto offered her a gentle smile and Itachi hugged her to him, brushing his fingers through her hair. "You're still living and that's far braver than anything else. You see the world with a whole lot of optimism even though your head's all messed up. You're two different people, Itachi and you. It's two different situations. Itachi didn't have anyone, no support system, no nothing. He has it now and that's the important thing. We've always been here to support you so you didn't have to hide it like that.

"Tell me that you'll get away when you graduate," Sasuke said softly, staring at the table. Sakura had quieted with Naruto's words and was sipping her hot chocolate again. "Tell me that you'll go to live in a dorm or something or that you'll get an apartment. Tell me that you aren't staying in that house after you're allowed to be free."

"I will stay," Itachi said calmly, looking at his brother. "I know it hurts that I kept this from you. I know you do not wish this treatment to continue on, but I do not wish for you to be subjected to the treatment. I have dealt with the pain for the better part of a decade. A few more years will not kill me. He had not managed it when I was a child, he will never manage it now." His father hadn't been able to subject him to the likes of the beatings he'd received as a child. Itachi still didn't fight back, the memories of his father pulling a knife on him all too real, but he couldn't cause too much damage now. It had been years since he had broken a bone or even broken the skin as he'd hit him.

"I don't want you to be hurt anymore," Sasuke said harshly, biting back the tears that were rising in his throat. Why wasn't Itachi listening? He wasn't one to cry, though, out of frustration or otherwise. He bit his tongue and swallowed, effectively keeping them down.

"I do not wish for your skin to mirror mine," Itachi said quietly. He knew Sasuke had seen him without his shirt the night before. "You do remember the sight of my chest, do you not?" Sasuke nodded numbly. He had a painfully clear memory of Itachi's pale chest littered with new and old bruises, white scars that were both long and seemed rather deep when they'd been inflicted. "I consider myself incredibly unattractive because of it," Itachi said, knowing he would have to get personal with this in an attempt to make Sasuke understand. "I do not wish for you to think the same. I do not know how you will fare against father's fists and I do not know how you will fare if he pulls a knife on you. I would rather not think about it. I would rather continue taking it than chance you receiving it instead." Sasuke understood then. He had understood before, but it was with the force Itachi used in his words that it finally made it through his head. The scars weren't all mental and he didn't want the reminder to stare Sasuke in the face every day, the memories banging against his skull and reminding him every moment of the day.

"It still bothers you?" Sasuke asked, staring at the table.

"I can tell you where every scar came from," Itachi said, "in great detail. I can tell you exactly where our father caused the most damage and the memory of that night. I can tell you what it felt like to drown and the terror I felt at the prospect of living." Itachi didn't tell him the good things at the moment, knowing he had to hit hard and deep first. "These are things I do not want you to live with. I wish for you to be normal though I will be permanently messed up."

"You're not as messed up as you think," Sasuke muttered. "You're just different, like Sakura is. Sakura's different, but she isn't fucked up. She just has thoughts she can't get away from like you have a situation you can't get away from because you're so worried about me." Itachi was certain Sasuke understood now and he gave him a small smile. He was glad he coming to terms with the information he had now. Itachi was certain it would have taken longer, but Sasuke was a lot more accepting as of late. His long friendship with Sakura definitely didn't hurt his acceptance.

"It is not all bad, brother. Sakura pulled me from the water and, for a moment, she took the terror away as she held me in her arms." He was getting way too personal and was letting way too much out, but he didn't care. It was needed. He would not do this if he didn't completely trust the people around him and if it was not needed. "I looked forward to seeing her again, even as I was in that terrible psychiatric institute. Although she didn't remember me when I saw her again, I was glad to watch her from afar. She was still quite the angel I remembered." Sakura flushed at his words. She hadn't thought he would say something like that.

Sasuke didn't know what to say. Itachi had never gotten this personal. It was nice to know that he could be personal and could let things like this out every now and then. Itachi was continuing to speak and he scrambled to pull himself out of his thoughts and return his avid attention.

"Sakura has brought you back to me as well, Sasuke," Itachi said quietly, watching him with an impassive stare. Sasuke couldn't see what he was thinking at all. "I cannot thank her enough for the hope she has given me since that night. I am not sad she does not remember it. I do not hold it against her. I am glad that she is here now and has opened more doors for me than I could imagine." Sakura hid her face in her hair, way too embarrassed at this moment.

"You're good for each other," Sasuke heard himself saying. "You think alike and you can offer the comfort to each other that Naruto and I can't offer you." Itachi was surprised at his words. Sasuke wasn't speaking in venom. He was calm and was thinking his words through now. He was quite glad that he was accepting this now. He wanted nothing more than Sasuke's acceptance. "Are you happy, Itachi?" Sasuke asked.

"When I attempted my life, I saw it as my lowest point," Itachi said quietly. "When Sakura pulled me from the water, it gave me hope and reason to live. I wanted to see her again and thank her, but she did not remember me and therefore would not talk to me. I didn't need her to. I was happy to watch her and have her nearby. However, she did notice me after a while and things have only gotten better. Things always get better, Sasuke, I just had to wait."

"Sometimes our happy times are clouded and hidden by rain and storm," Sakura said softly, quietly, still hiding n her hair. "If we just wait, those clouds will break and the rain will stop eventually. Sometimes, it's just the eye of the storm and there's more to weather until our happily ever after happens. It will happen though. We have to push it forwards and make it happen sometimes instead of just weathering through the storm, but it always comes eventually." Itachi tightened his arm around her, pulling her harshly to his chest. Sasuke was watching her with a look in his eyes that Itachi hadn't seen anymore. It was gentle and kind. It was knowledge and understanding. He was glad he got to see that look in his eyes and knew he would keep it imprinted into his memory. It was the first time he'd seen it and he never wanted to forget it. Sakura rested her cheek on Itachi's shoulder, her eyes closed. She was tired, but was still listening. The emotions at the table over the past hour or so were just overwhelming her and tiring her out a bit.

"Itachi?" Sasuke said, staring uneasily around him. Itachi stared at him, waiting patiently for him to continue. "Thanks, you know?" he said softly. "Even though I didn't know, it means a lot that you protected me so much." Though he had begun by being betrayed and hurt, his understanding calmed him and made him realize it was the way Itachi had tried to show him that he loved him above anyting else. He knew that Sakura probably held a place above him, but Itachi had a lot of care and love invested in him as well. This realization touched him more than his brother would ever know.

Itachi knew Sasuke was trying to tell him that he loved him in so many words. They had never been ones to speak their feelings freely, so this was new to the both of them. It was odd and different, but not unwelcome.

"Why don't we get back home?" Naruto asked. "It looks like Sakura needs a nap," he laughed. Sakura had completely fallen asleep at this point, her breathing slow. Itachi hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep. He jostled her gently and she woke slowly, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"What's up?" she asked, still rubbing her eyes. She really was tired and just wanted to curl up for a nap with Itachi.

"We're going home," Naruto said with an easy grin. Sakura nodded, pulling herself up. She swayed drunkenly and Itachi was quick to catch her around the waist and give her a steadying hand around her forearm. She smiled and leaned back against him in thanks before standing on her own. Itachi grabbed their trash and threw it out. Sakura followed the other three out the door and climbed into Itachi's car, her head on the side of the door almost immediately. She really was tired, Itachi thought. He knew she would pull him into bed or on the couch to take a nap and he would have no way out of it. He often didn't.

Sasuke and Naruto pulled into the drive before him. He would have to leave with Sasuke eventually and therefore didn't want to be blocked in. He couldn't help the small smile of amusement when he looked over and saw Sakura completely knocked out again. He got out of the car and crossed to the other side, carefully pulling her out of her seat and into his arms, holding her tightly and carefully to his chest. Naruto held the door open for him and he brought her to the living room, laying her on the couch. He really had to go to the bathroom.

"Are your parents home?" Sasuke asked Naruto as they trailed after Itachi. They had decided to watch something on TV, though they were certain they would be treated to an Itachi-Sakura cuddle session. That fact didn't make them too happy, but they would rather have them around, cuddling or not. Sasuke was feeling particularly clingy of his brother today and wanted to be around him no matter what, something he had grudgingly told Naruto while they drove here.

"Nah, dad's watching the game at a bar and mom's doing paperwork at the gym," Naruto answered. "I think Sakura's pretty happy about it. She can't do anything too relationship-y with Itachi if they're around," he shrugged. He tried to find every moment he could to give the two some privacy because Sakura did the same when Hinata was over. It was a nice system they had going together.

They collapsed into a couple of armchairs and Naruto reached for the remote. He was always the one that picked what to watch. He was just really good at picking shows or movies that everyone enjoyed. Itachi joined them soon enough and climbed onto the couch next to Sakura, pulling her close to his chest and arranging a few pillows to rest his head on. Sakura woke slightly, only enough to press herself against him and find a comfortable place to put her head, and then she was asleep a few moments later.

"Does she usually do that?" Sasuke asked, watching with interest.

"Wake up to become comfortable and then go back to sleep not five seconds later?" Itachi asked, amusement clear in his eyes. Sasuke nodded. "Quite a lot. She will also wake if I get up. She begs me to stays and achieves her goal most of the time." Naruto couldn't help but laugh at Itachi's dry words.

"Yea, most of the time it's Sakura's way or nothing at all," he said through his laughter.

"I've noticed," Itachi deadpanned. Not that he could say no, anyways. It was hard for him to say no to her, her attitude or not. She was the most important person to him and he wasn't about to keep anything from her that she wanted. He would go further than anything else to make sure she was okay and happy, just like she helped him to be.

Itachi felt himself drifting off to sleep not long afterwards the warmth and closeness to Sakura lulling him into a drowsy state. Naruto and Sasuke had noticed that he was falling asleep and so kept quiet, not wanting to wake him again. Sasuke didn't think his brother got nearly enough sleep and it bothered him to no end.

It was a lazy afternoon and each of them enjoyed it. Sasuke was glad that he learned what he did today. A lot of the things he'd learned over the past few months had helped him understand his brother more and begin identifying him and learning to love him again. It was a good feeling and he liked that Sakura was there to help him along. Naruto even seemed more easy-going as of late, which had seemed impossible before. Naruto was all laid back and always cheery, Sasuke hadn't thought he could get more optimistic and chill, but here he was. He wasn't talking animatedly, just smiling and leaning back into his chair, turning every now to talk to Sasuke about something.

This afternoon didn't stop dread from pooling in the bottom of his stomach, though. This was a calm afternoon, but he knew there were going to be tumultuous afternoons and afternoons that were filled with upset friends and family. Something had to give and he didn't know what that was going to be. Something had to give and he wasn't sure if it would be Itachi's mental state or his father's rage. He wasn't looking forwards to finding out.

He sighed, though. It was time to just relax and watch TV with Naruto. Those things were better left to worry about for another day. There was no use worrying about it now when the situations had yet to come. Though he was scared and more than worried about the future, Sakura's words reverberated through his head.

" _We have to push it forwards and make it happen sometimes instead of just weathering through the storm, but it always comes eventually."_

Sasuke didn't know how much there was left to weather for either of them, but he was hoping he could be there to help them like he hadn't been before because he just hadn't understood. He understood and accepted it now, and so he would be with his brother when he took his next step forwards, no matter what that step was.

* * *

 **Kit kat you too fat to sit on my lap for 6 hours dude. Moooove.**


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